Characteristics of those patients who were and were not prealerted
| Characteristic | Not prealerted | Prealerted |
|---|---|---|
| Population (n) | 128 (100%) | 143 (100%) |
| Age (mean±SD) | 72±14 | 75±13 |
| Gender (% female) | 54 (42%) | 74 (52%) |
| Ethnicity (%) | ||
| White | 102 (80%) | 110 (77%) |
| Mixed race | 2 (2%) | 3 (2%) |
| Asian or Asian British | 13 (10%) | 17 (12%) |
| Black or Black British | 4 (3%) | 3 (2%) |
| Other | 6 (5%) | 9 (6%) |
| Not stated | 1 (1%) | 1 (1%) |
| Patients seen by the EMS within 5 h of symptom onset (%) | 53 (41%) | 93 (65%) |
| Patients who were FAST positive (%) | 48 (38%) | 129 (90%) |
| Patients with a GCS >13 (%) | 119 (93%) | 89 (62%) |
| Patients with a blood glucose >3 (%) | 124 (97%) | 143 (100%) |
| Patients who had not had a seizure (%) | 128 (100%) | 142 (99%) |
| Patients who had not had a fit (%) | 127 (99%) | 141 (99%) |
| Fulfils local criteria for prealert (%) | 17 (13%) | 62 (43%) |
| Patients who had a paramedic in attendance (%) | 99 (92%) | 115 (93%) |
| Final diagnosis (%) | ||
| Stroke | 110 (86%) | 134 (94%) |
| Stroke mimic | 8 (6%) | 5 (3%) |
| TIA | 9 (7%) | 4 (3%) |
| TIA mimic | 1 (1%) | 0 (0%) |
| Patients arriving in hospital in working hours (09:00–17:00) (5%) | 79 (62%) | 88 (62%) |
| Patients receiving thrombolysed (%) | 4 (3%) | 27 (19%) |
| Died in hospital (%) | 4 (3%) | 14 (10%) |
EMS, emergency medical services; FAST, Face, Arm, Speech Test; TIA, transient ischaemic attack.