P.065 Emergency medical services activation Following Face, Arm, Speech, Time (FAST) public awareness campaigns in Quebec, Canada

Abstract

Background: Face, Arm, Speech, Time (FAST) campaigns improve stroke recognition in the general population. We assessed the effect of five consecutive FAST campaigns on emergency medical services (EMS) calls for suspected strokes in Quebec, Canada. Methods: We compared with t-tests the daily EMS call volume changes in the greater Montreal area before and after five FAST campaigns held between 2015 and 2019. We used interrupted time-series to measure changes in EMS daily call volume for suspected strokes following each FAST campaign (all calls, calls <5 hours from symptom onset, calls rated 3/3 on the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale [CPSS]) and used calls for acute headaches as a comparator. Results: After five FAST campaigns, mean daily calls increased by 28% (p<0.001) for suspected strokes, compared to 10% for acute headaches (p=0.012). Significant increases in daily stroke calls were only observed after three campaigns (highest OR=1.26, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.43; p<0.001). There were no significant changes in calls after individual campaigns for strokes <5 hours from symptom onset and 3/3 CPSS strokes. Conclusions: The individual effect of FAST campaigns on daily stroke calls to EMS was inconsistent. Further refinement of FAST campaigns may help improve prompt EMS activation.