Need to Prioritize Education of the Public Regarding Stroke Symptoms and Faster Activation of the 9-1-1 System: Findings from the Florida–Puerto Rico CReSD Stroke Registry

AbstractObjective: Demographic differences (race/ethnicity/sex) in 9-1-1 emergency medical services (EMS) access and utilization have been reported for various time-dependent critical illnesses along with associated outcome disparities. However, data are lacking with respect to measuring the various components of time taken to reach definitive care facilities following the onset of acute stroke symptoms (i.e., stroke onset to 9-1-1 call, EMS response, time on-scene, transport interval) and particularly with respect to any differences across ethnicities and sex. Therefore, the specific aim of this study was to measure the various time intervals elapsing following the first symptom onset (FSO) from an acute stroke until stroke hospital arrival (SHA) and to delineate any race/ethnic/sex-related differences among any of those measurements.Methods: The Florida-Puerto Rico Stroke Registry (FLPRSR) is an on-going, voluntary stroke registry of hospitals participating in the Get with the Guidelines-Stroke initiati...