In conclusion, our study reveals a number of independent predictors
of pre-hospital delay, including the distance from the hospital of greater than or equal to 10 km, absence of a
companion/attendant/escort during the incident, medical
history of diabetes mellitus, absence of dyspepsia and absence of
nausea/vomiting during the incident.
In addition, among the
factors that are positively correlated with pre-hospital delay of
patients with AMI in the present study is the distance from
hospital of more than 10 km, which might consist a modifiable
factor. More specifically, a number of government actions could
improve the accessibility of patients to health services, including
the improvement of the road network, the modernization of the
national emergency transportation systemand the orientation of
the healthcare system towards primary health care.
These findings
should be considered when planning educational programmes
of secondary and tertiary prevention so as to decrease
the pre-hospital delay of patients with AMI and to provide the
high-risk groups for AMI with the knowledge necessary for the
early identification of the AMI symptoms.