Effect of a two-year public education campaign on reducing response time of patients with symptoms of acute myocardial infarction

A review of interventions aimed at reducing pre-hospital delay time in acute coronary syndrome: what has worked and why?

“…This was also the case for other studies 26,30 . The intervention by Dracup et al was based on individualised education that aimed to increase knowledge and improve attitudes and beliefs about seeking care for ACS symptoms 27 .…”

“…This media campaign comprised of newspaper, television and radio advertising and conveyed a message "Saving time could save your life" which emphasised symptom recognition and appropriate responses to symptoms. Again in the United States, a further mass media intervention was conducted by Moses et al Patients who presented to an emergency department with at least one acute myocardial infarction symptom were included in this study 30 . This campaign was comprised of public talks along with radio, television and newspaper advertising to educate the public about heart warning signs and the importance of prompt action.…”

Cognitive and Behavioral Aspects Affecting Early Referral of Acute Stroke Patients to Hospital

“…15,26 However, a purely knowledge-based approach is unlikely to be sufficient, as reflected by the failure of some educational campaigns in relation to myocardial infarction. 11,27 Other work shows that the benefits gained were short-lived. 19,28 Apart from providing information about the on signs, symptoms, and risk factors for stroke, educational and counselling strategies must concentrate on affective and behavioral processes.…”

Duration of, and Temporal Trends (1994-1997) in, Prehospital Delay in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction

“…As examples of these studies, a public education campaign in Sweden resulted in reduced delay times, 19,20 whereas public education campaigns in the United States and Australia have failed to alter appreciably patient delay times compared with periods before the institution of these programs. 16,18,21,23 The greatest reductions in delay times were seen when a multiple-component intervention was used. The multiplecommunity randomized controlled Rapid Early Action for Coronary Treatment trial is examining the effects of public and health care provider educational programs on reducing the duration of prehospital delay in individuals with suspected coronary disease from 10 pairmatched communities throughout the United States.…”