title: Early Emergency Medical Service Calls for Stroke: Was the Long-Term Education Program Based on the Experience of West Pomerania Successful?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our objectives are to investigate whether the percentage of early emergency calls for stroke had increased and to assess current factors determining the time of deciding to seek medical help in the event of early stroke symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed data concerning the decision to call for medical help in relation to observed stroke symptoms. Group I comprised 287 people who made the decision to call emergency medical service (EMS) in the first 10 minutes after observing stroke symptoms. Group II included 275 people who called EMS after that time. Data from the current database (2013-2014) were compared with relevant data from the period 2003-2005.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2013-2014, awareness of stroke signs was 2.5 times greater than in 2003-2005. Among the groups of early and delayed EMS calls during 2003-2005 and 2013-2014, there were no significant differences in the number of people who suspected stroke. Advanced patient age, young caller age, hemiparesis, facial weakness, and the severity of neurological deficit were independent factors that correlated strongly with an early EMS call, whereas feelings of numbness and dizziness correlated significantly with delayed EMS calls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the West Pomeranian community, general knowledge of stroke is not a significant factor when making appropriate decisions at the onset of stroke symptoms. The education campaign regarding the initial symptoms of stroke and the possible fatal consequences appears to have been ineffective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pomeranian Medical Unversity in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland. Electronic address: nowiczontko@poczta.onet.pl.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masztalewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pomeranian Medical Unversity in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Przemysław
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nowacki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pomeranian Medical Unversity in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kotlęga
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pomeranian Medical Unversity in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bajer-Czajkowska
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Calling for help; EMS; factor relating to medical help call; stroke