Skip to main content
Log in

Educational Strategies to Prevent Prehospital Delay in Patients at High Risk for Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Report by the National Heart Attack Alert Program

  • Published:
Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

An estimated 13 million people in the United States have coronary heart disease (CHD), peripheral vascular disease, or cerebrovascular disease. The risk for subsequent myocardial infarction (MI) and death in these patients is fivefold to sevenfold higher than for the general population. Many effective therapies are now available for patients with unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), potentially fatal arrhythmias, and cardiogenic shock if they seek and receive care expeditiously. However, delays in accessing and receiving care are a continuing problem, threatening the effectiveness of available treatments. Patients with previously diagnosed CHD, including a previous MI, have the same or greater delay times as those without prior MI or CHD. Because of the high-risk status of these patients, combined with the problem of delay in seeking care, this Working Group of the National Heart Attack Alert Program Coordinating Committee advises physicians and other healthcare providers of their important role in reducing treatment delay in these patients. The Working Group recommends that primary care clinicians in the office and in inpatient settings provide these patients and their family members or significant others with contingency counseling about actions to take in response to symptoms of an AMI. The counseling should address the emotional aspects (e.g., fear and denial) that patients and those around them may experience, as well as barriers that may be associated with the healthcare delivery system. Assistance from other healthcare providers (e.g., nurses) should be solicited to initiate, reinforce, and supplement the counseling. A Patient Advisory Form is offered as an aid to providers in counseling their high-risk patients about these issues. Other materials and aids should be considered as well. Physicians’ offices and clinics should devise a system to triage patients rapidly when they call or walk in seeking advice for possible AMI symptoms. Further research is needed to learn more about effective counseling strategies; symptom manifestation in high-risk groups, including the elderly, women, and minorities; and healthcare delivery systems that enhance access to timely care for patients with prior CHD or other clinical atherosclerotic disease.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Streptochinasi nell'Infarto Miocardico (GISSI). Effectiveness of intravenous thrombolytic treatment in acute myocardial infarction. Lancet 1986;1:397-402.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Streptochinasi nell'Infarto Miocardico (GISSI). Long-term effects of intravenous thrombolysis in acute myocardial infarction: Final report of the GISSI study. Lancet 1987;2:871-874.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Second International Study of Infarct Survival Collaborative Group (ISIS-2). Randomized trial of intravenous streptokinase, oral aspirin, both, or neither among 17,187 cases of suspected acute myocardial infarction: ISIS-2. J Am Coll Cardiol 1988;12(Suppl. A):3A-13A.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Fibrinolytic Therapy Trialists' Collaborative Group. Indications for fibrinolytic therapy in suspected acute myocardial infarction: Collaborative overview of early mortality and major morbidity results from all randomized trials of more than 1,000 patients. Lancet 1994;343:311-322.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Cannon CP, Antman EM, Walls R, Braunwald E. Time as an adjunctive agent to thrombolytic therapy. J Thromb Thrombolysis 1994;1:27-34.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Berger PB, Bell MR, Holmes DR, Gersh BJ, Hopfenspirger M, Gibbons R. Time to reperfusion with direct coronary angioplasty and thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction. Am J Cardiol 1994;73:231-236.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Herlitz J, Hartford M, Aune S, Karlsson T, Hjalmarson A. Delay time between onset of myocardial infarction and start of thrombolysis in relation to prognosis. Cardiology 1993;82: 347-353.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Weaver WD, Cerqueira M, Hallstrom AP, et al. for the Myo-cardial Infarction Triage and Intervention Project Group. Prehospital-initiated vs hospital-initiated thrombolytic therapy. The Myocardial Infarction Triage and Intervention Trial. JAMA 1993;270:1211-1216.

    Google Scholar 

  9. National Heart Attack Alert Program Coordinating Committee, 60 Minutes to Treatment Working Group. Emergency department: Rapid identification and treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction. Ann Emerg Med 1994;23:311-329.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Timm TC, Ross R, McKendall GR, Braunwald E, Williams DO, and the TIMI Investigators. Left ventricular function and early cardiac events as a function of time to treatment with t-PA: A report from TIMI II (abstr). Circulation 1991;84(Suppl. II):II230.

  11. O'Keefe JH Jr., Rutherford BD, McConahay DR, et al. Early and late results of coronary angioplasty without antecedent thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction. Am J Cardiol 1989;64:1221-1230.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Rogers WJ, Bowlby LJ, Chandra NC, et al. for the participants in the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction. Treatment of myocardial infarction in the United States (1990 to 1993). Observations from the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction. Circulation 1994;90:2103-2114.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Cannon CP, Henry TD, Schweiger MJ, et al. Current management of ST elevation myocardial infarction and outcome of thrombolytic ineligible patients: Results of the multicenter TIMI 9 Registry (abstrt). J Am Coll Cardiol 1995(Special Issue)25:231A-232A.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Lee TH, Weisberg MC, Brand DA, Rouan GW, Goldman L. Candidates for thrombolysis among emergency room patients with acute chest pain. Ann Intern Med 1989;110: 957-962.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Muller DWM, Topol EJ. Selection of patients with acute myocardial infarction for thrombolytic therapy. Ann Intern Med 1990;113:949-960.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Goldberg RJ, Gurwitz J, Yarzebski J, et al. Patient delay and receipt of thrombolytic therapy among patients with acute myocardial infarction from a community-wide perspective. Am J Cardiol 1992;70:421-425.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Yarzebski J, Goldberg RJ, Gore JM, Alpert JS. Temporal trends and factors associated with extent of delay to hospital arrival in patients with acute myocardial infarction: The Worcester Heart Attack Study. Am Heart J 1994;128: 255-263.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Dracup K, Moser DK, Eisenberg M, Meischke H, Alonzo AA, Braslow A. Causes of delay in seeking treatment for heart attack symptoms. Soc Sci Med 1995;40:379-392.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Dracup K, Moser DK. Treatment-seeking behavior among those with signs and symptoms of acute myocardial infarction. Heart Lung 1991;20:570-575.

    Google Scholar 

  20. GUSTO Investigators. An international randomized trial comparing four thrombolytic strategies for acute myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 1993;329:673-682.

    Google Scholar 

  21. TIMI Study Group. Comparison of invasive and conservative strategies after treatment with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator in acute myocardial infarction: Results of the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) phase II trial. N Engl J Med 1989;320:618-627.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Joos SK, Hickman DH. How health professionals influence health behavior: Patient-provider interaction and health care outcomes. In: Glanz K, Lewis FM, Rimer BK, eds. Health Behavior and Health Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990;216-241.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Adams PF, Marano MA. Current estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 1994. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 1996;series 10:No. 193.

  24. Criqui MH, Langer RD, Fronek A, et al. Mortality over a period of 10 years in patients with peripheral arterial disease. N Engl J Med 1992;326:381-386.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Pekkanen J, Linn S, Heiss G, et al. Ten-year mortality from cardiovascular disease in relation to cholesterol level among men with and without preexisting cardiovascular disease. N Engl J Med 1990;322:1700-1707.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Salonen JT, Salonen R. Ultrasonographically assessed carotid morphology and the risk of coronary heart disease. Arterioscler Thromb 1991;11:1245-1249.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Kannel WB, Schatzkin A. Sudden death: lessons from subsets in population studies. J AmColl Cardiol 1985;5(Suppl.): 141B-149B.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Kuller L, Perper J, Cooper M. Demographic characteristics and trends in arteriosclerotic heart disease mortality: Sudden death and myocardial infarction. Circulation 1975;51 (Suppl.):III1-III15.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Maynard C, Althouse R, Olsufka M, Ritchie JL, Davis KB, Kennedy JW. Early versus late hospital arrival for acute myocardial infarction in the Western Washington thrombolytic therapy trials. Am J Cardiol 1989;63:1296-1300.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Meischke H, Eisenberg MS, Larsen MP. Prehospital delay interval for patients who use emergency medical services: The effect of heart-related medical conditions and demographic variables. Ann Emerg Med 1993;22:1597-1601.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Moss AJ, Wynar B, Goldstein S. Delay in hospitalization during the acute coronary period. Am J Cardiol 1969;24: 659-665.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Rawles JM, Haites NE. Patient and general practitioner delays in acute myocardial infarction. Br Med J 1988;296: 882-884.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Turi ZG, Stone PH, Muller JE, et al. (and the MILIS Study Group). Implications for acute intervention related to time of hospital arrival in acute myocardial infarction. Am J Cardiol 1986;58:203-209.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Weaver WD, Litwin PE, Martin JS, et al. (MITI Project Group). Effect of age on use of thrombolytic therapy and mortality in acute myocardial infarction. J Am Coll Cardiol 1991;18:657-662.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Alonzo AA. The impact of the family and lay others on care-seeking during life-threatening episodes of suspected coronary artery disease. Soc Sci Med 1986;22:1297-1311.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Clark LT, Bellam SV, Shah AH, Feldman JG. Analysis of prehospital delay among inner-city patients with symptoms of myocardial infarction: Implications for therapeutic intervention. J Natl Med Assoc 1992;84:931-937.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Cunningham MA, Lee TH, Cooke EF, et al. The effect of gender on the probability of myocardial infarction among emergency department patients with acute chest pain: A report from the Multicenter Chest Pain Study Group. J Gen Intern Med 1989;4:392-398.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Schmidt SB, Borsch MA. The prehospital phase of acute myocardial infarction in the era of thrombolysis. Am J Cardiol 1990;65:1411-1415.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Cooper RS, Simmons B, Castaner A, Prasad R, Franklin C, Ferlinz J. Survival rates and prehospital delay during myocardial infarction among black persons. Am J Cardiol 1986;57:208-211.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Ghali JK, Cooper RS, Kowatly I, Liao Y. Delay between onset of chest pain and arrival to the coronary care unit among minority and disadvantaged patients. J Natl Med Assoc 1993:85:180-184.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Ell K, Haywood LJ, Sobel E, deGuzman M, Blumfield D, Ning J. Acute chest pain in African Americans: Factors in the delay in seeking emergency care. Am J Public Health 1994;84:965-970.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Crawford SL, McGraw SA, Smith KW, McKinlay JB, Pierson JE. Do blacks and whites differe in their use of health care for symptoms of coronary heart disease? Am J Public Health 1994;84:957-964.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Hofgren K, Bondestam E, Johansson FG, Jern S, Herlitz J, Holmberg S. Initial pain course and delay to hospital admission in relation to myocardial infarct size. Heart Lung 1988;17:274-280.

    Google Scholar 

  44. Moss AJ, Goldstein S. The pre-hospital phase of acute myocardial infarction. Circulation 1970;41:737-742.

    Google Scholar 

  45. Simon AB, Feinleib M, Thompson HK Jr. Components of delay in the pre-hospital phase of acute myocardial infarction. Am J Cardiol 1972;30:476-482.

    Google Scholar 

  46. Schroeder JS, Lamb IH, Hu M. The prehospital course of patients with chest pain: Analysis of the prodromal, symptomatic, decision-making, transportation and emergency room periods. Am J Med 1978;64:742-748.

    Google Scholar 

  47. Kenyon LW, Ketterer MW, Gheorghiade M, Goldstein S. Psychological factors related to prehospital delay during acute myocardial infarction. Circulation 1991;84:1969-1976.

    Google Scholar 

  48. Wielgosz ATJ, Nolan RP, Earp JA, Biro E, Wielgosz MB. Reasons for patients' delay in response to symptoms of acute myocardial infarction. Can Med Assoc J 1988;139: 853-857.

    Google Scholar 

  49. Matthews KA, Siegel JM, Kuller LH, Thompson M, Varat M. Determinants of decisions to seek medical treatment by patients with symptoms. J Pers Soc Psychol 1983;44: 1144-1156.

    Google Scholar 

  50. Reilly A, Dracup K, Dattolo J. Factors influencing prehospital delay in patients experiencing chest pain. Am J Crit Care 1994;3:300-306.

    Google Scholar 

  51. Leitch JW, Birbara T, Freedman B, Wilcox I, Harris PJ. Factors influencing the time from onset of chest pain to arrival at hospital. Med J Aust 1989;150:6-10.

    Google Scholar 

  52. Gray D, Keating NA, Murdock J, Skene AM, Hampton JR. Impact of hospital thrombolysis policy on out-of-hospital response to suspected myocardial infarction. Lancet 1993;341:654-657.

    Google Scholar 

  53. Hackett TP, Cassem NH. Factors contributing to delay in responding to the signs and symptoms of acute myocardial infarction. Am J Cardiol 1969;24:651-658.

    Google Scholar 

  54. Penchansky R, Thomas JW. The concept of access: Definition and relationship to consumer satisfaction. Med Care 1981;19:127-140.

    Google Scholar 

  55. American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force. Guidelines for the early management of patients with acute myocardial infarction. A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Assessment of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Cardiovascular Procedures (Subcommittee to Develop Guidelines for the Early Management of Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction). J Am Coll Cardiol 1990;16:249-292.

    Google Scholar 

  56. Wynn J. The role of hospital delivery systems in the treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction: Rural hospital setting. Heart Lung 1991;20:581-583.

    Google Scholar 

  57. National Heart Attack Alert Program Coordinating Committee Access to Care Subcommittee. Staffing and equipping emergency medical services systems: Rapid identification and treatment of acute myocardial infarction. Am J Emerg Med 1995;13:58-66.

    Google Scholar 

  58. Gillum RF, Liu KC. Coronary heart disease mortality in United States blacks, 1940-1978: Trends and unanswered questions. Am Heart J 1984;108:728-732.

    Google Scholar 

  59. Mitchell BD, Hazuda HP, Haffner SM, Patterson JK, Stern MP. Myocardial infarction in Mexican-Americans and non-Hispanic whites. The San Antonio Heart Study. Circulation 1991;83:45-51.

    Google Scholar 

  60. Blendon RJ, Aiken LH, Freeman HE, Corey CR. Access to medical care for black and white Americans. A matter of continuing concern. JAMA 1989;261:278-281.

    Google Scholar 

  61. Haywood LJ. Coronary heart disease mortality/morbidity and risk in blacks. II: Access to medical care. Am Heart J 1984;108:794-796.

    Google Scholar 

  62. Orr ST, Miller CA, James SA. Differences in use of health services by children according to race. Relative importance of cultural and system-related factors. Med Care 1984;22:848-853.

    Google Scholar 

  63. Gillum RF. Sudden coronary death in the United States 1980-1985. Circulation 1989;79:756-765.

    Google Scholar 

  64. Hossfeld G, Ryan M. HMOs and utilization of emergency medical services: A metropolitan survey. Ann Emerg Med 1989;18:374-377.

    Google Scholar 

  65. Alonzo AA. The impact of physician consultation on careseeking during acute episodes of coronary heart disease. Med Care 1977;15:34-50.

    Google Scholar 

  66. Alonzo AA. The mobile coronary care unit and the decision to seek medical care during acute episodes of coronary artery disease. Med Care 1980;18:297-318.

    Google Scholar 

  67. Kereiakes DJ, Weaver D, Anderson JL, et al. Time delays in the diagnosis and treatment of acute myocardial infarction: A tale of eight cities. Report from the Pre-hospital Study Group and the Cincinnati Heart Project. Am Heart J 1990;120:773-780.

    Google Scholar 

  68. Ho MT, Eisenberg MS, Litwin P, et al. Reasons chest pain patients delay or do not call 911. Circulation 1988;784:II187.

    Google Scholar 

  69. Kerr HD. Access to emergency departments: A survey of HMO policies. Ann Emerg Med 1989;18:274-277.

    Google Scholar 

  70. Hayward RA, Shapiro MF, Freeman HE, Corey CR. Inequities in health services among insured Americans. Do working-age adults have less access to medical care than the elderly? N Engl J Med 1988;318:1507-1512.

    Google Scholar 

  71. Manning WG, Newhouse JP, Duan N, et al. Health Insurance and the Demand for Medical Care: Evidence From a Randomized Experiment. Santa Monica, CA: The RAND Corporation, February 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  72. Kellermann AL. Too sick to wait. JAMA 1991;266: 1123-1125.

    Google Scholar 

  73. National Cholesterol Education Program. Second Report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel II). National Institutes of Health. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH publication no. 93-3095, September 1993.

  74. Margolis JR, Kannel WS, Feinleib M, Dawber TR, McNamara PM. Clinical features of unrecognized myocardial infarction-silent and symptomatic. Eighteen year followup: The Framingham study. Am J Cardiol 1973;32:1-7.

    Google Scholar 

  75. Uretsky BF, Farquhar DS, Berezin AF, Hood WB Jr. Symptomatic myocardial infarction without chest pain: Prevalence and clinical course. Am J Cardiol 1977;40:498-503.

    Google Scholar 

  76. Gillum RF, Fortmann SP, Prineas RJ, Kottke TE. International diagnostic criteria for acute myocardial infarction and stroke. Am Heart J 1984;108:150-158.

    Google Scholar 

  77. Raczynski JM, Taylor H, Cutter G, Hardin M, Rappaport N, Oberman A. Diagnoses, symptoms, and attribution of symptoms among black and white inpatients admitted for coronary heart disease. Am J Public Health 1994;84:951-956.

    Google Scholar 

  78. Johnson JA, King KB. The influence of expectations about symptoms on delay in seeking treatment during myocardial infarction. Am J Crit Care 1995;4:29-35.

    Google Scholar 

  79. Braunwald E, Mark DB, Jones RH, et al. Unstable Angina: Diagnosis and Management. Clinical Practice Guideline Number 10. AHCPR Publication No. 94-0602. Rockville, MD: Agency for Health Care Policy and Research and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, March 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  80. Weaver WD, Kennedy JW. Myocardial infarction-Thrombolytic therapy in the prehospital setting. In: Fuster V, Varstraete M, eds. Thrombosis in Cardiovascular Disorders. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 1992:275-287.

    Google Scholar 

  81. Dracup K, McKinley S, Moser DK. Australian patients' delay in response to heart attack symptoms. Med J Aust 1997;166:233-236.

  82. Mullen PD, Mains DA, Velez R. A meta-analysis of controlled trials of cardiac patient education. Patient Educ Counseling 1992;19:143-162.

    Google Scholar 

  83. Estey A, Musseau A, Keehn L. Comprehension levels of patients reading health information. Patient Educ Counseling 1991;18:165-169.

    Google Scholar 

  84. Fetro JV. Personal and Social Skills: Understanding and Integrating Competence Across Health Content. Santa Cruz, CA: ETR Associates, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  85. Bandura A. A Social Learning Theory. Morristown, NJ: General Learning Press, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  86. Bandura A. Influence of model reinforcement contingencies on the acquisition of imitative responses. J Pers Soc Psychol 1965;1:589-595.

    Google Scholar 

  87. American College of Cardiology. Approaches to the early triage of patients with chest discomfort. Cardiology 1990;19:4-5.

    Google Scholar 

  88. Ho MT, Eisenberg MS, Litwin PE, Schaeffer SM, Damon SK. Delay between onset of chest pain and seeking medical care: The effect of public education. Ann Emerg Med 1989;18:727-731.

    Google Scholar 

  89. Herlitz J, Hartford M, Blohm M, et al. Effect of a media campaign on delay times and ambulance use in suspected acute myocardial infarction. Am J Cardiol 1989;64:90-93.

    Google Scholar 

  90. Moses HW, Engelking N, Taylor GJ, Prabhaker C, Vallala M, Colliver JA, Silberman H, Schneider JA. Effect of a twoyear public education campaign on reducing response time of patients with symptoms of acute myocardial infarction. Am J Cardiol 1991;68:249-251.

    Google Scholar 

  91. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. NIH Guide. Community Intervention to Reduce Myocardial Infarction Delay. RFA: HL-93-16-P. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, June 18, 1993.

  92. Puleo PR, Meyer D, Wathen C, et al. Use of a rapid assay of subforms of creatine kinase MBto diagnose or rule out acute myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 1994;331:561-566.

    Google Scholar 

  93. Adams JE, Abendschein DR, Jaffe AS. Biochemical markers of myocardial injury; is MBcreatine kinase the choice for the 1990's? Circulation 1993;88:750-763.

    Google Scholar 

  94. Hamm CW, Ravkilde J, Gerhardt W, et al. The prognostic value of serum troponin T in unstable angina. N Engl J Med 1992;327:146-150.

    Google Scholar 

  95. Lee TH, Ting HH, Shammash JB, Soukup JP, Goldman L. Long-term survival of emergency department patients with acute chest pain. Am J Cardiol 1992;69:145-151.

    Google Scholar 

  96. deBoer MJ, Hoorntje JCA, Ottervanger JP, Reiffers S, Suryapranata H, Zijlstra F. Immediate coronary angioplasty versus intravenous streptokinase in acute myocardial infarction: Left ventricular ejection fraction, hospital mortality and reinfarction. J Am Coll Cardiol 1994;23:1004-1008.

    Google Scholar 

  97. Grines CL, Browne KF, Marco J, et al. A comparison of immediate angioplasty with thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 1993;328:673-679.

    Google Scholar 

  98. Ziljstra F, de Boer MJ, Hoorntje JCA, Reiffers S, Reiber JHC, Suryapranata H. A comparison of immediate coronary angioplasty with intravenous streptokinase in acute myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 1993;328:680-684.

    Google Scholar 

  99. First International Study of Infarct Survival Collaborative Group (ISIS-1). Randomised trial of intravenous atenolol among 16,027 cases of suspected acute myocardial infarction: ISIS-1. Lancet 1986;2:57-66.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hand, M. Educational Strategies to Prevent Prehospital Delay in Patients at High Risk for Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Report by the National Heart Attack Alert Program. J Thromb Thrombolysis 6, 47–61 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008872105760

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008872105760

Navigation