Looks at how paramedics handle suspected stroke in men and women
Compares how emergency teams assess and manage suspected stroke in men and women.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Sex diffErences in prehoSpitAl Stroke MEdicine
Key facts
- Where
- Homburg, GermanySee the site
Where in Germany
- Saarland UniversityHomburg, GermanyTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Universität des Saarlandes
- Trial code
- NCT06865950
- Record updated
- 21 May 2025
- Original description
Background: Stroke is a leading cause for individual, family and societal harm with huge health-economic impact. Immediate and correct prehospital acute stroke pathway initiation is key for treatment success.Read full original descriptionShow less
Sex Differences in Prehospital Acute Management of Suspected Stroke Patients
Background: Stroke is a leading cause for individual, family and societal harm with huge health-economic impact. Immediate and correct prehospital acute stroke pathway initiation is key for treatment success.
Evidence points towards sex inequity in management pathways of acute stroke care. A complicating factor in acute stroke management is the diversity in clinical presentation among patients of different sex. This increases the challenges of correct prehospital identification.
Most of the currently available data on male and female differences in acute stroke management come from patients with hospital-confirmed stroke. Little to no information is available about sex-related management differences of patients with prehospital suspected stroke, often missed by stroke quality databases.
Objectives: To identify sex differences in EMS-delivered prehospital diagnostic accuracy and management of patients with suspected or confirmed acute stroke.
Methods: International project collaboration to conduct a cross-regional cohort analysis of patients with a prehospital working diagnosis of stroke and/or hospital-confirmed stroke diagnosis.
Relevance: More information and details about the reasons for a potential prehospital treatment inequity are a necessary next step for any improvement and subsequent development of structured training programmes for emergency medical service personnel. This project is the first large-scaled international collaboration addressing sex differences in prehospital stroke care. With this approach the project will not only lead to more urgently needed information, but will also serve as a lighthouse project for raising general awareness for this topic.
Inclusion: For all participants:; Adults aged 18 years of age and older; Emergency call to the national emergency telephone number because of acute symptoms; EMS treatment; For cohort 1:; Working diagnosis of acute stroke or TIA raised by the emergency medical dispatch centre; For cohort 2:; Working diagnosis of acute stroke or TIA raised by the EMS personnel at the emergency site; For cohort 3:; Hospital confirmed diagnosis of acute stroke or TIA.
Exclusion: Patients, who have acute stroke symptoms but do not involve the EMS and make their way to hospital themselves.