Background: Despite recent advances in acute stroke care, only 1–8% of patients can receive
reperfusion therapies, mainly because of prehospital delay (PHD). Objective: This study aimed
to identify factors associated with PHD from the onset of acute stroke symptoms until arrival at
the hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted including all patients consecutively
admitted with stroke symptoms to Burgos University Hospital (Burgos, Spain). Socio-demographic,
clinical, behavioral, cognitive, and contextualized characteristics were recorded, and their possible
associations with PHD were studied using univariate and multivariable regression analyses. Results:
The median PHD of 322 patients was 138.50 min. The following factors decreased the PHD and
time until reperfusion treatment where applicable: asking for help immediately after the onset of
symptoms (OR 10.36; 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.47–23.99), onset of stroke during the daytime
(OR 7.73; 95% CI 3.09–19.34) and the weekend (OR 2.64; 95% CI 1.19–5.85), occurrence of stroke outside
the home (OR 7.09; 95% CI 1.97–25.55), using a prenotification system (OR 6.46; 95% CI 1.71–8.39),
patient’s perception of being unable to control symptoms without assistance (OR 5.14; 95% CI
2.60–10.16), previous knowledge of stroke as a medical emergency (OR 3.20; 95% CI 1.38–7.40), call to
emergency medical services as the first medical contact (OR 2.77; 95% CI 1.32–5.88), speech/language
difficulties experienced by the patient (OR 2.21; 95% CI 1.16–4.36), and the identification of stroke
symptoms by the patient (OR 1.98; 95% CI 1.03–3.82). Conclusions: The interval between the onset
of symptoms and arrival at the hospital depends on certain contextual, cognitive, and behavioral
factors, all of which should be considered when planning future public awareness campaigns.
