Education on Heart Attack and Emergency Medical Services Response in Areas with High Risk and Low EMS Utilization: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster-Randomized Study - Scorecard - MDSpire

Education on Heart Attack and Emergency Medical Services Response in Areas with High Risk and Low EMS Utilization: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster-Randomized Study

  • By

  • Janet E. Bray

  • Ziad Nehme

  • Judith C. Finn

  • Jessica Kasza

  • Janelle Woods

  • Robyn A. Clark

  • Dion Stub

  • Dominique A. Cadilhac

  • Joosup Kim

  • Ben J. Smith

  • Susie Cartledge

  • Alison Beauchamp

  • Rhys Bowden

  • Natasha Dodge

  • Elizabeth Flemming-Judge

  • Clara Chow

  • Nicholas Cox

  • William van Gaal

  • Voltaire Nadurata

  • Peter Cameron

  • Heart Matters Investigators

  • Karen Smith

  • Tony Walker

  • Adam J Stormont

  • Amanda K Buttery

  • Roni Beauchamp

  • Erin R Bowen

  • Roslyn Cochrane

  • James Nigro

  • Donna N Koik

  • Alicja T Najbar-Kaszkiel

  • Nousa Sooriah

  • Anita Sterling

  • Georgie Ockenden

  • Elizabeth Cerini

  • Kelly E Donnelly

  • Jesse D Lewis

  • Ararso Olani

  • Kelly-Ann Jolly

  • April 27, 2026

  • 0 min

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Clinical Scorecard: Education on Heart Attack and Emergency Medical Services Response in Areas with High Risk and Low EMS Utilization: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster-Randomized Study

At a Glance

CategoryDetail
ConditionAcute coronary syndrome (ACS)
Key MechanismsDelayed treatment due to patient delay and low EMS utilization leading to prolonged ischemic times and worse outcomes
Target PopulationAdult residents in high-risk local government areas (LGAs) with low EMS use and poor ACS knowledge
Care SettingCommunity-based intervention in high-risk metropolitan and rural LGAs in Victoria, Australia

Key Highlights

  • Patient delay and low EMS use are common barriers to timely ACS treatment, worsening clinical outcomes.
  • A multifaceted community education campaign was implemented targeting high-risk LGAs to improve ACS knowledge and EMS use.
  • Intervention included in-person and online education, culturally tailored materials, local media, and social media campaigns.

Guideline-Based Recommendations

Diagnosis

  • Early recognition of ACS symptoms by patients is critical to prompt EMS activation.

Management

  • Encourage timely EMS use for suspected ACS to enable early diagnosis, triage, and guideline-directed therapies.

Monitoring & Follow-up

  • Use administrative and registry data to monitor prehospital delay times and EMS utilization rates.

Risks

  • Delays in seeking care and not using EMS increase ischemic time and risk of adverse outcomes.

Patient & Prescribing Data

Approximately 792,000 adults in 8 high-risk LGAs representing 17% of the state population

Community education targeting high-risk demographics can improve awareness and prompt appropriate EMS use

Clinical Best Practices

  • Target interventions to high-risk regions with low ACS awareness and EMS utilization rather than general populations.
  • Use culturally and linguistically tailored educational materials and multiple media channels to maximize reach.
  • Engage local healthcare professionals, community leaders, and organizations to enhance intervention delivery and acceptance.

References

Original Source(s)

Education on Heart Attack and Emergency Medical Services Response in Areas with High Risk and Low EMS Utilization: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster-Randomized Study

  • by Janet E. Bray, Ziad Nehme, Judith C. Finn, Jessica Kasza, Janelle Woods, Robyn A. Clark, Dion Stub, Dominique A. Cadilhac, Joosup Kim, Ben J. Smith, Susie Cartledge, Alison Beauchamp, Rhys Bowden, Natasha Dodge, Elizabeth Flemming-Judge, Clara Chow, Nicholas Cox, William van Gaal, Voltaire Nadurata, Peter Cameron, Heart Matters Investigators, Karen Smith, Tony Walker, Adam J Stormont, Amanda K Buttery , Roni Beauchamp, Erin R Bowen, Roslyn Cochrane, James Nigro, Donna N Koik, Alicja T Najbar-Kaszkiel, Nousa Sooriah, Anita Sterling, Georgie Ockenden, Elizabeth Cerini, Kelly E Donnelly, Jesse D Lewis, Ararso Olani, Kelly-Ann Jolly

  • April 27, 2026

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