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

Population-Based Intervention to Reduce Prehospital Delays in Patients With Stroke and Transient Ischaemic Attack

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00744029

Acronym

BASS

Enrollment

1388

Registered

2008-08-29

Start date

2004-02-29

Completion date

2007-06-30

Last updated

2008-09-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Stroke

Keywords

prehospital delays, intervention, population-based, stroke

Brief summary

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).

Detailed 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.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALeducational material

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.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

50 Years to No maximum

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

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Time between symptom onset and hospital admission	Admission to hospital

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Proportion of patients with thrombolysis	hospital stay
Mortality	hospital stay

Countries

Germany

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026