Prehospital delays in ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a focus on emergency medical service delays

Time delay to reperfusion in acute heart attack is a major issue for public health and healthcare systems. Although efforts to reduce in-hospital delay have been effective, there is still a gap between optimal and actual time delay before hospital presentation. In this thesis, I sought to provide an overview and critical evaluation of prehospital delay among emergency medical services (EMS) users worldwide and in the state of Victoria, Australia. The findings of this thesis provide important insights into EMS delays in heart attack and suggest several courses of action in order to reduce prehospital delay among EMS users.