Reduction of Prehospital Delays in Stroke and Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) (BASS)

Charité University Medicine Berlin

Status: Completed

Conditions: Stroke

Treatments: Behavioral: educational material

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00744029

Project Z1b

Details and patient eligibility

About

In patients with acute stroke, systemic thrombolysis needs to be administered within three hours of symptom onset. The aim of the present study was to reduce prehospital delays in a population-based intervention.The intervention consisted of an educational letter indicating stroke symptoms and emphasizing the importance of calling the emergency medical services (EMS). The investigators additionally included a bookmark and sticker with the EMS telephone number. A total of 75,720 inhabitants received the intervention. Between 2004 and 2005, 741 patients with cerebrovascular events were admitted from the control areas (n=24) and 647 from the intervention areas (n=24).

Full description

Background and Purpose:

In patients with acute stroke, systemic thrombolysis needs to be administered within three hours of symptom onset. The aim of the present study was to reduce prehospital delays in a population-based intervention.

Methods:

We performed a cluster-randomized trial with 48 zip code areas as cluster units in the catchment area of three inner-city hospitals in Berlin. The primary endpoint was time between symptom onset and hospital admission. The intervention consisted of an educational letter indicating stroke symptoms and emphasizing the importance of calling the emergency medical services (EMS). We additionally included a bookmark and sticker with the EMS telephone number. We fitted a lognormal survival regression model (time-to-admission) with frailty terms shared by inhabitants of the same zip code area.

Enrollment: 1,388 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 50+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• All patients with stroke or transient ischaemic attacks from the postal code areas of the study being admitted to one of the participating hospitals

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with stroke or transient ischaemic attacks from outside the postal code areas of the study

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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1,388 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Educational letter indicating stroke symptoms and emphasizing the importance of calling the emergency medical services (EMS) as well as a bookmark and sticker with the EMS telephone number.

Treatment:

Behavioral: educational material

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

No intervention was performed