Abstract
BackgroundEmergency department staff play a crucial role in the triage of stroke patients and therefore the capacity to deliver time-dependent treatments such as tissue Plasminogen Activator. This study aimed to identify among emergency physicians, (1) rates of agreement with evidence supporting tissue Plasminogen Activator use in acute stroke care; and (2) individual and hospital factors associated with high agreement with evidence supporting tissue Plasminogen Activator use.MethodsAustralian fellows and trainees of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine were invited to complete an online cross-sectional survey assessing perceptions of tissue Plasminogen Activator use in acute stroke. Demographic and hospital characteristics were also collected.Results429 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine members responded (13% response rate). Almost half (47.2%) did not agree with any statements regarding the benefits of tissue Plasminogen Activator use for acute stroke. Perceived routine administration of tissue Plasminogen Activator by the head of respondents’ emergency department was significantly associated with high agreement with the evidence supporting tissue Plasminogen Activator use in acute stroke.ConclusionsAgreement with evidence supporting tissue Plasminogen Activator use in acute stroke is not high among responding Australian emergency physicians. In order for tissue Plasminogen Activator treatment to become widely accepted and adopted in emergency settings, beliefs and attitudes towards treatment need to be in accordance with clinical practice guidelines.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-015-1242-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Emergency department staff play a crucial role in the triage of stroke patients and the capac‐ ity to deliver time-dependent treatments such as tissue Plasminogen Activator
The invitation to New Zealand (NZ) members was rescinded immediately and is unlikely to have influenced results. This was the first study to examine rates of agreement with evidence supporting tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA) use in acute stroke care, as well as the individual and hospital factors associated with agreement with the evidence among Australian emergency physicians
Our results correspond with previous international literature, finding low rates of agreement with particular published literature on the potential benefits of tPA use among responding emergency physicians
Summary
Emergency department staff play a crucial role in the triage of stroke patients and the capac‐ ity to deliver time-dependent treatments such as tissue Plasminogen Activator. This study aimed to identify among emergency physicians, (1) rates of agreement with evidence supporting tissue Plasminogen Activator use in acute stroke care; and (2) individual and hospital factors associated with high agreement with evidence supporting tissue Plasminogen Activator use. Stroke and tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA) Globally, stroke is the third most common cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) [1]. Rates of use are lower in other countries; 5% of stroke patients receive tPA in the United Kingdom (UK) [8] and 2.4% of ischemic stroke patients receive tPA in the United States (US) [9].
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