title: A media campaign aiming at reducing delay times and increasing the use of ambulance in AMI.
abstract: To improve the prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) if treatment by early instituting treatment, we initiated a media campaign during 1 year with the intention to reduce delay times and increase ambulance use in patients with acute chest pain. This article describes the outcome during 3 years after the campaign was finished. The median delay time in patients with AMI was reduced from 3 hours 0 min before the campaign to 2 hours 20 minutes during the year of the campaign (P < .001). The median delay time remained at a similar level (2 hours 20 min) during the 3 years after the campaign. Ambulance use was not affected during or after the campaign. It can be concluded that a media campaign resulted in a reduction of delay times not only during the campaign, but also during 3 years after its performance, whereas ambulance use was not affected.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine I, Sahlgrenska Hospital, University of Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blohm
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hartford
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Karlson
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Herlitz
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000552:Ambulances / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D017748:Time Management; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000639:trends*