ABSTRACT NUMBER: ESOC2026A351 IMPACT OF INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE DISPATCH CENTER ON STROKE DISPATCH PRIORITY AND TIME TO TREATMENT

Abstract Background and aims Timely ambulance dispatch is essential for stroke treatment. However, patients often contact a health care professional (HCP), e.g., general practitioner, instead of emergency services. HCPs can contact the dispatch center directly, but this may delay ambulance dispatch and treatment initiation. We aimed to assess how often HCPs contact the dispatch center and whether this affects dispatch priority and last-seen-well to treatment time in the Dutch healthcare setting. Methods We analyzed ambulance ride logs and health records for all hospital-confirmed stroke patients in 2023 who were primarily transported by ambulance to Albert Schweitzer Hospital, the Netherlands and triaged by the dispatch center Zuid-Holland Zuid. Patients last-seen-well>24 hours were excluded. We calculated the odds ratio of receiving the highest dispatch priority (A1) for alarms initiated by HCPs versus direct 112 calls and calculated the difference in time from last-seen-well to hospital treatment. Results Among 472 stroke patients transported by ambulance, 261 (55.3%) were referred via calls from an HCP. The odds ratio of A1 dispatch priority for HCP-initiated calls versus direct 112 calls was 0.58 (95% CI:[0.28-1.22]). Median time from last-seen-well to hospital treatment was 147 (IQR:102-238) minutes for HCP calls versus 89 (IQR:71-148) minutes for direct 112 calls (p <0.001). Conclusions In over half of stroke cases, emergency services are alarmed via an HCP rather than directly via 112. Alarm via HCP was associated with a lower dispatch priority, although not statistically significant, and longer last-seen-well to treatment times. Public education should emphasize calling emergency services directly for stroke symptoms. Conflict of interest Peter van Hulst: nothing to disclose, Peter de Kruijter: nothing to disclose, Henk Kerkhoff: nothing to disclose, Daniel Bos: nothing to disclose, Hester Lingsma: nothing to disclose, Bob Roozenbeek: nothing to disclose