Jurnal Internasional Afrika vol. 11 issue 1 2021
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Original article The barriers and facilitators to the telephonic application of the FAST assessment for stroke in a private emergency dispatch centre in South Africa
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Title
Jurnal Internasional Afrika vol. 11 issue 1 2021
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Original article The barriers and facilitators to the telephonic application of the FAST assessment for stroke in a private emergency dispatch centre in South Africa
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Original article The barriers and facilitators to the telephonic application of the FAST assessment for stroke in a private emergency dispatch centre in South Africa
Subject
FAST assessment
Stroke
Emergency medical services
Telephonic communication
South Africa
Stroke
Emergency medical services
Telephonic communication
South Africa
Description
Background: Stroke is one of the leading contributors to morbidity and mortality globally. The incidence of stroke
is on the increase in Sub-Saharan countries such as South Africa. As stroke is a time-sensitive condition, emergency
medical services (EMS) play an important role in the early recognition of stroke. The telephonic application
of the FAST (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) assessment has been suggested to screen patients for stroke, but
this is not applied consistently. This study aimed to identify the barriers and facilitators to the telephonic
application of the FAST assessment.
Methods: This retrospective, exploratory study sampled 20 randomly selected emergency calls to a private EMS in
South Africa, with suspected stroke. After verbatim self-transcription, data were analysed using inductive content
analysis to identify the barriers and facilitators to the application of the FAST assessment. Results were arranged
according to themes.
Results: Results indicated that in 15/20 (75%) of the calls, the FAST assessment was successfully applied. Eight
barriers under three themes (practical barriers, emotionality, and knowledge and understanding) and three facilitators
under one theme (clear communication) were identified. Most notably, language discordance, lack of
empathy and caller frustration featured prominently as barriers while caller cooperation and clear instructions
were prominent facilitators.
Conclusion: With the barriers known, methods to address these may be constructed. Additional training and
credentialing for call-takers may be a reasonable first step. These lessons can likely be applied to other telephonic
acuity and recognition algorithms.
is on the increase in Sub-Saharan countries such as South Africa. As stroke is a time-sensitive condition, emergency
medical services (EMS) play an important role in the early recognition of stroke. The telephonic application
of the FAST (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) assessment has been suggested to screen patients for stroke, but
this is not applied consistently. This study aimed to identify the barriers and facilitators to the telephonic
application of the FAST assessment.
Methods: This retrospective, exploratory study sampled 20 randomly selected emergency calls to a private EMS in
South Africa, with suspected stroke. After verbatim self-transcription, data were analysed using inductive content
analysis to identify the barriers and facilitators to the application of the FAST assessment. Results were arranged
according to themes.
Results: Results indicated that in 15/20 (75%) of the calls, the FAST assessment was successfully applied. Eight
barriers under three themes (practical barriers, emotionality, and knowledge and understanding) and three facilitators
under one theme (clear communication) were identified. Most notably, language discordance, lack of
empathy and caller frustration featured prominently as barriers while caller cooperation and clear instructions
were prominent facilitators.
Conclusion: With the barriers known, methods to address these may be constructed. Additional training and
credentialing for call-takers may be a reasonable first step. These lessons can likely be applied to other telephonic
acuity and recognition algorithms.
Creator
Ethan Mackay, Elzarie Theron, Willem Stassen
Source
www.elsevier.com/locate/afjem
Publisher
elsevier
Date
3 November 2020
Contributor
peri irawan
Format
pdf
Language
english
Type
text
Files
Citation
Ethan Mackay, Elzarie Theron, Willem Stassen , “Jurnal Internasional Afrika vol. 11 issue 1 2021
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Original article The barriers and facilitators to the telephonic application of the FAST assessment for stroke in a private emergency dispatch centre in South Africa,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed November 22, 2024, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/2515.
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Original article The barriers and facilitators to the telephonic application of the FAST assessment for stroke in a private emergency dispatch centre in South Africa,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed November 22, 2024, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/2515.