title: Assessment of the experience of Saudi emergency medical services personnel with acute stroke. On-scene stroke identification, triaging, and dispatch of acute stroke patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the knowledge, experience, and the impact of seniority of Saudi emergency services (EMS) personnel in dealing with acute stroke patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted this cross-sectional survey using a 3-part structured questionnaire involving 102 EMS personnel in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between October and December 2011. We assessed participants` demographic factors, their ability to identify cardinal symptoms of stroke, use of assessment tools, knowledge of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), and dispatch of patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of participants was 27.6 (+/-4.5) years. Approximately half of the group had experience of up to 2 years. Six percent of participants were not aware of any stroke symptoms, and only 3% identified 5 or more correct symptoms. None of the participants used any stroke specific assessment tools. Around 98% of participants dispatched patients to the nearest hospitals without taking into account availability of stroke treatment facilities. Only 6% of the participants were aware of t-PA and its use in stroke care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the EMS personnel lacked knowledge of the cardinal stroke symptoms, t-PA`s principal uses, and its therapeutic time window. Training opportunities coupled with the implementation of screening tools, stroke triage, and dispatch protocols are urgently required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Emad
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Althubaity
authors.forename: Faisel
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yunus
authors.forename: Ali M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Al Khathaami
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D020521:Stroke / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014218:Triage / Q000592:standards*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator