ArticleBMJ open2024
Temporal trends of ambulance time intervals for suspected stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland: a quasi-experimental study.
Article in BMJ open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Navigating Acute Stroke: Perspectives from Survivors, Caregivers, and Healthcare Professionals in Ireland During COVID-19: A Qualitative Study.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2025Article
- Impact of Strengthened Collaboration with Emergency Medical Services and In-Hospital Workflow Optimization for Reducing Treatment Delays in Endovascular Thrombectomy.Journal of neuroendovascular therapy · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTime is a fundamental component of acute stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) care, thus minimising prehospital delays is a crucial part of the stroke chain of survival. COVID-19 restrictions were introduced in Ireland in response to the pandemic, which resulted in major societal changes. However, current research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on prehospital care for stroke/TIA is limited to early COVID-19 waves. Thus, we aimed to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on ambulance time intervals and suspected stroke/TIA call volume for adults with suspected stroke and TIA in Ireland, from 2018 to 2021.
designWe conducted a secondary data analysis with a quasi-experimental design.
settingWe used data from the National Ambulance Service in Ireland. We defined the COVID-19 period as '1 March 2020-31 December 2021' and the pre-COVID-19 period '1 January 2018-29 February 2020'. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: We compared five ambulance time intervals: 'allocation performance', 'mobilisation performance', 'response time', 'on scene time' and 'conveyance time' between the two periods using descriptive and regression analyses. We also compared call volume for suspected stroke/TIA between the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods using interrupted time series analysis.
participantsWe included all suspected stroke/TIA cases ≥18 years who called the National Ambulance Service from 2018 to 2021.
results40 004 cases were included: 19 826 in the pre-COVID-19 period and 19 731 in the COVID-19 period. All ambulance time intervals increased during the pandemic period compared with pre-COVID-19 (p<0.001). Call volume increased during the COVID-19-period compared with the pre-COVID-19 period (p<0.001).
conclusionsA 'shock' like a pandemic has a negative impact on the prehospital phase of care for time-sensitive conditions like stroke/TIA. System evaluation and public awareness campaigns are required to ensure maintenance of prehospital stroke pathways amidst future healthcare crises. Thus, this research is relevant to routine and extraordinary prehospital service planning.
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