Predictors of pre-hospital delay in seeking treatment among Jordanian patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction during COVID 19 pandemic

Abstract

Pre-hospital delay lead to delay in receiving appropriate and timely reperfusion therapy among patients with STEMI, which increases morbidity and mortality rate. The current study aimed to explore predictors of pre-hospital delay time among Jordanian patients with STEMI during COVID 19 Pandemic. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used on a convenience sample of 163 patients diagnosed with STEMI. Multiple linear regression was used to explore the predictors of pre-hospital delay time. The mean pre-hospital delay time was 2.7 hours (SD = 1.9). Only 3% of patients attended the hospitals within the first hour of the onset of symptom, and 38% of patients used civil defense ambulance services to present to hospitals. Having a family history of cardiac disease and being medically insured were associated with lower pre-hospital delay time. Jordanian patients with STEMI have a lower delay time when compared with other countries during COVID 19 pandemic. Many demographic and clinical factors were found to cause pre-hospital delay, and efforts should be made to raise patients' awareness regarding the consequences of longer pre_hospital delay time.