Background and Purpose-Few acute stroke patients are treated with alteplase, partly because of significant prehospital delays after symptom onset. The aim of this study was to determine among ambulance-transported stroke patients factors associated with stroke recognition and factors associated with a call for ambulance assistance within 1 hour from symptom onset. Methods-For 6 months in 2004, all ambulance-transported stroke or transient ischemic attack patients arriving from a geographically defined region in Melbourne (Australia) to 1 of 3 hospital emergency departments were assessed. Tapes of the call for ambulance assistance were analyzed and the patient and the caller were interviewed. Results-One hundred ninety-eight patients were included in the study. Stroke was reported as the problem in 44% of ambulance calls. Unprompted stroke recognition was independently associated with facial droop (Pϭ0.015) and a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (PϽ0.001). More than half of the calls for ambulance assistance were made within 1 hour from symptom onset and only 43% of these callers spontaneously identified the problem as "stroke." Factors independently associated with a call within 1 hour were: speech problems (Pϭ0.009), caller family history of stroke (Pϭ0.017), and the patient was not alone at symptom onset (Pϭ0.018). Conclusions-Stroke was reported as the problem (unprompted) by Ͻ50% of callers. Fewer than half the calls were made within 1 hour from symptom onset. Interventions are needed to more strongly link stroke recognition to immediate action and increase the number of stroke patients eligible for acute treatment.

Background and Purpose-Few patients with acute stroke are treated with alteplase, often due to significant prehospital delays after symptom onset. The aims of this study were to: (1) identify factors associated with rapid first medical assessment in the emergency department after a call for ambulance assistance, and (2) determine the impact of ambulance practice on times from the ambulance call to first medical assessment in the emergency department. Methods-During a 6-month period in 2004, all ambulance-transported patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack arriving from a geographically defined region in Melbourne, Australia (population 383 000) to one of 3 hospital emergency departments were assessed prospectively. Ambulance records including the tape recording of the call for ambulance assistance and hospital medical records, were analyzed. Results-One hundred ninety-eight patients were included in the study. One hundred eighty-seven ambulance patient care records were complete and available for analysis. Factors associated with first medical assessment in the emergency department Ͻ60 minutes from the ambulance call and Ͻ10 minutes from hospital arrival were: Glasgow Coma Scale Ͻ13 (PϽ0.001 and Pϭ0.021) and hospital prenotification (Pϭ0.04 and PϽ0.001). Paramedic stroke recognition and hospital prenotification were associated with shorter times from the ambulance call to first medical assessment (Pϭ0.001 and PϽ0.001). Conclusions-Paramedic stroke recognition and hospital prenotification are associated with shorter prehospital times from the ambulance call to hospital arrival and in-hospital times from hospital arrival to first medical assessment. This highlights the importance of including ambulance practice in comprehensive care pathways that span the whole process of stroke care.