Help-seeking behaviour at time of stroke onset
| RSQ item | Overall sample (N=149) | % (95% CI) | OTD time ≤3.5 h (N=79) N | % (95% CI) | OTD time >3.5 h (N=52) N | % (95% CI) | p Value | Missing data N (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Context of symptom onset | 0 (0) | |||||||
| Others were present | 52 | 35 (29 to 43) | 25 | 32 (22 to 43) | 19 | 37 (24 to 51) | 0.58 | |
| Others noticed symptoms first | 66 | 44 (36 to 51) | 40 | 51 (39 to 62) | 16 | 31 (19 to 45) | 0.03 | |
| First action upon noticing symptoms | 25 (17) | |||||||
| Unable to respond due to symptoms | 31 | 25 (18 to 33) | 19 | 24 (15 to 35) | 4 | 8 (2 to 19) | 0.02 | |
| Told someone | 44 | 35 (27 to 44) | 23 | 29 (19 to 40) | 12 | 29 (17 to 43) | 0.34 | |
| Tried to rest | 29 | 23 (17 to 32) | 6 | 8 (3 to 16) | 13 | 25 (14 to 39) | 0.006 | |
| Ignored symptoms | 15 | 12 (7 to 19) | 4 | 5 (1 to 12) | 3 | 6 (1 to 16) | 0.9 | |
| Called an ambulance for myself | 6 (3 to 11) | 15 | 19 (11 to 29) | 3 | 6 (1 to 16) | 0.15 | ||
| Phoned GP | 15 | 12 (7 to 19) | 6 | 8 (3 to 16) | 6 | 12 (4 to 23) | 0.48 | |
| Did not notice symptoms | 30 | 23 (17 to 32) | 16 | 20 (12 to 31) | 7 | 13 (6 to 26) | 0.29 | |
| Thoughts following onset | 31 (21) | |||||||
| Thought symptoms would go away | 51 | 43 (34 to 52) | 14 | 18 (10 to 28) | 20 | 38 (25 to 53) | 0.007 | |
| Did not think symptoms were serious | 38 | 32 (24 to 41) | 11 | 14 (7 to 24) | 16 | 31 (19 to 45) | 0.02 | |
| How did other people respond? | 23 (15) | |||||||
| Suggested I rest or take medicine | 14 | 11 (7 to 18) | 4 | 5 (1 to 12) | 4 | 8 (2 to 19) | 0.49 | |
| Suggested I get medical help | 39 | 31 (23 to 40) | 12 | 15 (8 to 25) | 14 | 27 (16 to 41) | 0.06 | |
| Called an ambulance | 38 | 30 (23 to 39) | 28 | 35 (25 to 47) | 9 | 17 (8 to 30) | 0.03 | |
| Drove me to the ED | 13 | 10 (6 to 17) | 6 | 8 (3 to 16) | 5 | 10 (3 to 21) | 0.63 | |
| They got upset | 12 | 10 (5 to 16) | 0 | 0 (0 to 0) | 10 | 20 (10 to 33) | 0.008 | |
| Recall of FAST campaign | 19 (13) | |||||||
| Remembered advertisements (unprompted) | 42 | 32 (25 to 41) | 44 | 56 (44 to 67) | 27 | 52 (38 to 66) | 0.44 | |
| Able to describe FAST advertisements (prompted) | 70 | 75 (65 to 83) | 36 | 46 (34 to 57) | 20 | 38 (25 to 53) | 0.51 | |
| Reported that FAST affected response to symptoms | 33 | 37 (27 to 47) | 25 | 32 (22 to 43) | 5 | 10 (3 to 21) | 0.002 |
FAST, Face, Arm, Speech, Time; GP, general practitioner; OTD, onset-to-door; RSQ, Response to Symptoms Questionnaire.