Ian Mosley’s research on stroke patients'
treatment times could help save lives.

Research by an RMIT University academic has found an alarming 22 per cent of people who suffer a stroke contact their doctor instead of calling for an ambulance, leading to long delays in treatment time.

RMIT Business program co-ordinator Ian Mosley led the study that showed calling a GP instead of “000” could keep patients from getting to emergency departments in the critical first three hours following a stroke.

The research, conducted for the National Stroke Research Institute, was presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2008.

Mr Mosley said anybody who experienced stroke symptoms or observed them in others should immediately call an ambulance.

“There is a three-hour window of opportunity for acute stroke treatment in which clot-busting drugs can be administered to significantly improve the outcome for a patient,” he said.

“These drugs greatly increase the chances of survival after a stroke and can potentially avert serious post-stroke disability.

“The earlier that a patient is treated, the better the potential outcome can be.”

Mr Mosley, a registered nurse, is also a Research Fellow at the National Stroke Research Institute/Florey Neuroscience Institutes.

The study included interviews with 198 stroke patients who arrived by ambulance at three Melbourne emergency departments over six months.

It found 22 per cent of stroke patients first called a family doctor and only 32 per cent opted to immediately call for an ambulance.

Among those who called a GP, 45 per cent were screened over the phone and advised to call an ambulance while 36 percent were advised to be seen by the doctor.

People who waited to be examined by their doctor experienced a delay times of nearly seven hours before an ambulance was finally called to take them to hospital.

The delay in calling an ambulance was nearly 10 times greater for those who waited to be seen by their GP (median 412 minutes) than for those who called an ambulance immediately (median 44 minutes).

“GPs have an important role to play in reducing potential delays for stroke patients,” Mr Mosley said.

“If they can screen calls over the phone and advise the person to call an ambulance immediately, they can dramatically reduce delay times.”

Mr Mosley said the research was part of a wider study investigating pre-hospital and emergency care of stroke patients, from the onset of symptoms to first medical assessment in the hospital Emergency Department.

“Stroke is the third largest killer in the world and the largest cause of disability,” he said.

“The disability caused by a stroke can be devastating – even mild strokes can have serious emotional and psychological effects.

“By getting patients to the right hospital faster, this research could help reduce the impact of disability caused by strokes.”

According to the National Stroke Foundation, the acronym FAST is an easy way to recognise the symptoms of stroke:

Facial weakness - can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
Arm weakness - can the person raise both arms?
Speech difficulty - can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
Time to act fast - call 000 immediately.