Mode of Arrival to the Emergency Department of Stroke Patients in the United States

Background:

The modality of transport to the emergency department has implications for triage, evaluation, and treatment of patients with stroke. We performed this study to determine the national trends in modes of arrival in patients with stroke and its association with emergency department evaluation in a nationally representative sample of United States.

Methods:

We used the data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS). The NHAMC is one of the largest studies designed to provide utilization and provision of services in hospital emergency departments (ED). Patients were categorized into three modes of arrival: 1) ambulance, either air or ground; 2) walk-in, this include car, taxi, bus, or foot; and 3) public services such as police car or social service vehicle/Unknown.