Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors which can delay hospital arrival for patients with acute stroke. Method: The participants for this study were 102 patients who were admitted to the Department of Neurology in a hospital in Chungnam province. Data were collected from Oct, 2002 to June, 2003. The data were analyzed with frequencies, percentages, and $x^2$ test using the SPSS PC program. Result: The results of this study were as follows: 1. Only 33.8 % of participants arrived at the hospital within 3 hours. 2. Educational level, economic status, people living in same residence, and place of residence were factors which significantly affected prehospital delay time. Also there were significant differences in prehospital delay time according to family history of stroke, day of the week when symptoms began, perception of seriousness of symptoms, type of hospital first used, and transportation. Conclusion: Therefore, to reduce prehospital delay time, educational programs which focus on the above factors need to be developed. Also, a public campaign for utilizing emergency service to reduce transportation time for acute stroke patients need to be facilitated.
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