SENSITIVITY OF PREHOSPITAL IDENTIFICATION OF STROKE IN SHIRAZ EMS IN 2018

Background and Aim : As defined by the WHO, stroke is rapidly developing clinical signs offocal (or global) disturbance of cerebral function, lasting more than 24 hours or leading to death,with no apparent cause other than that of vascular origin. This study aimed to evaluate theaccuracy of prehospital stroke identification and the factors that affect it.Methods : We prospectively studied all patients who were transported by Shiraz EMS to NamaziHospital with acute ischemic stroke between March 2018 and June 2018. Data were collected fromtwo different sources: (1) the Shiraz EMS database; and (2) the Namazi Hospital Stroke Registry.The databases were merged deterministically using the patient name, and date/time of hospitalarrival by ambulance. Patients who were transported from other medical facilities, had incompletepatient records in any one of these two databases, had a primary diagnosis of stroke by the hospitalwere excluded. A typical protocol used by EMS technicians and dispatchers was FAST.Results : In 2018, 181 patients were transported by Shiraz EMS to Namazi Hospital with aprehospital impression of stroke. Among them, 108 of them were included. (Technician truepositives and Technician false negatives were 58.3% and 41.6% respectively.)Conclusion : Factors that made EMS technician under triage stroke is the objective of the authorsin the next step of this research.

Keywords:

Emergency Medical Service , Prehospital Identification , Stroke