Emergency Stroke Calls: Obtaining Rapid Telephone Triage Project (ESCORTT)
The overall aim of ESCORTT was to facilitate recognition of stroke by EMDs who are key in facilitating the public’s access to the emergency services by:
Identifying a cohort of patients in hospital with a final diagnosis of stroke and exploring the identification and diagnosis of stroke in this cohort by ambulance dispatchers and ED staff;
Impact
The content of the stroke specific training package was based on earlier phases of ESCORTT and has been widely published (Jones et al., 2011; Gibson et al. 2012; Jones et al. 2012).
The percentages of those with final diagnosis of stroke who were correctly dispatched by EMS were 63.0% in the pre-implementation phase, rising to 87.5% during implementation, and remaining higher than baseline at 79.7% post-implementation.
Funders
National Institute for Health Research Stroke Programme Grant
Public Outputs
Leathley MJ, Jones SP, Gibson JEM, Ford GA, McAdam JJ, Quinn T, Watkins CL, on behalf of the Emergency Stroke Calls: Obtaining Rapid Telephone Triage Group. “Can you send an ambulance please?”: A comparison of callers’ requests for emergency medical dispatch in stroke and non-stroke calls. Emergency Medicine Journal. (on-line publication 13 July 2013). (in press). doi:10.1136/emermed-2013-202752
Collaborators and Partners
Applicants
Caroline Watkins, Professor of Stroke and Older People’s Care, Clinical Practice Research Unit, University of Central Lancashire.
Gary Ford, Professor of Pharmacology of Old Age, Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle General Hospital.
Professor Kevin Mackway-Jones, Medical Director, Research and Development, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
Project Lead
Stephanie Jones
sjones10@uclan.ac.uk
+44 (0)1772 895107
Press releases / magazine articles / online publications
Watkins C. Emergency stroke calls: obtaining rapid telephone triage. Stroke Matters. 2009;2:14.
Watkins C, Leathley M, Jones S. Funding awarded for ESCORTT. One million pound Department of Health grant for stroke care research. UCLan Research Newsletter. 2008;Issue 4:16.
Jones S. Acute stroke training for health professionals. UCLan Research Newsletter CRIT Supplement. 2008; Number 2:19.
Further information
For further information about the project, please contact Stephanie Jones