As we have already mentioned, an important finding of this
study was the correlation of a distance of more than 10 km
between the patient’s residence and the nearest hospital, with
delayed arrival to the hospital emergency department.
Previous
studies had not associated proximal factors, such as distance to
the hospital, with patients’ delayed arrival at the hospital. In our study, 176 patients (37%) suffered the AMI in a place located
more than 10 km away from the hospital, and 129 of them (74%)
live in a rural environment.
The long distance from hospital and
the use of an ambulance by only 25% of the patients, as already
mentioned previously, could explain the time delay.Greece is full
of mountainous and coastal areas, which are characterized by
restricted geographical accessibility.
The above fact, in conjunction
with the existence of only four acute beds per 1000 inhabitants,
in which the public sector provides about 75% (World
Health Organization 2004), could explain our effort to investigate
the distance from the nearest hospital as a risk factor for the
delayed seeking of healthcare services among AMI patients.