Pre-hospital Care for Suspected Stroke Patients, Cared for by Mobile Emergency Care Units in Northern Minas Gerais

Abstract Background Stroke management require rapid identification, assessment, and transport of patients to qualified health care centers. However, there is little description in the literature on the multiple challenges associated with the pre-hospital transport of suspected stroke patients. Objective To characterize the pre-hospital care provided to suspected stroke patients by the Brazilian Emergency Medical Service (SAMU in Portuguese), by means of a descriptive case study. Methods This is a descriptive study of a series of cases. Data from the SAMU regarding the responses to emergency calls from suspected stroke patients were collected. Independent reviewers confirmed the diagnostic hypothesis and all discordances were assessed using kappa statistics. Clinical data and transport times were described as frequency and proportion or central tendency and dispersion measures. Normality of continuous variable distribution was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of medians, with a 5% significance level. Results During the studied period, 556 suspected stroke patients were treated. The kappa index was 0.82 (95% CI 0.737 to 0.919) CI. In 74.7% of the cases, the symptom onset time was not recorded. The median time elapsed between the call for emergency services and the ambulance arrival was 18 minutes, and the median transport time was 38 minutes. A total of 34% of the patients were taken to referral hospitals for stroke. Conclusion This study revealed a low level of knowledge regarding the need to determine the exact time of symptom onset of suspected stroke patients. Also, the study showed the low rate of patients taken to referral hospitals. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2021; [online].ahead print, PP.0-0)

Implementation of an Acute Coronary Syndrome Simulation Training Strategy for Emergency Healthcare Professionals

The knowledge on the management of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is essential to reduce the gap between evidence and practice. Objective: To describe a simulation training strategy for emergency healthcare professionals and provide preliminary data on knowledge acquisition, learners' confidence and prescription of medications after training. Methods: The training was part of the implementation of two myocardial infarction systems of care. It comprehended lectures and simulation-based learning using high and low-fidelity mannequins and actors. It was tested in two phases: the first one in Belo Horizonte and the second one in Montes Claros, both in the state of Minas Gerais. A test was applied before and after training to assess knowledge acquisition. Confidence to perform thrombolysis in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients was assessed using a questionnaire, and the impact on medication prescription analyzed STEMI patients admitted to hospitals in Montes Claros. Results: In the first phase, 156 professionals answered both tests: 70% of them improved their results and the median number of right answers increased (6, interquartile range [IQR] 5-7; vs 7 ([IQR] 6-9; p < 0.05). In the second phase, 242 professionals answered both tests: 58% of the physicians and 83% of the nurses obtained better test scores. Participants referred a positive impact on their clinical practice, 95% reported feeling very secure when perform fibrinolysis after the training, and there was also an impact on medication prescription. Conclusions: There was an impact on the learners' knowledge acquisition and confidence using our two-phase training model, with evidence of impact on performance