Comparison of demographic data and key transfer times within the study cohort
| Regional (N=176) | Metropolitan (N=279) | Overall (N=455) | P value | |
| Sex, n (%) | 0.519 | |||
| Female | 72 (40.9) | 124 (44.4) | 196 (43.1) | |
| Male | 104 (59.1) | 155 (55.6) | 259 (56.9) | |
| Age (years) | 0.273 | |||
| Median (Q1, Q3) | 72.0 (64.0, 78.0) | 73.0 (64.0, 81.0) | 73.0 (64.0, 80.0) | |
| NIHSS score on first assessment | 0.151 | |||
| Median (Q1, Q3) | 15.0 (9.00, 19.0) | 16.0 (10.0, 20.0) | 15.0 (10.0, 20.0) | |
| Missing, n (%) | 16 (9.1) | 31 (11.1) | 47 (10.3) | |
| Premorbid mRS, n (%) | 0.071 | |||
| 0 | 131 (74.4) | 180 (64.5) | 311 (68.4) | |
| 1 | 17 (9.7) | 44 (15.8) | 61 (13.4) | |
| 2 | 8 (4.5) | 9 (3.2) | 17 (3.7) | |
| ≥3 | 4 (2.3) | 11 (4.0) | 15 (3.2) | |
| Missing | 16 (9.1) | 35 (12.5) | 51 (11.2) | |
| Arrival mode, n (%) | 0.009 | |||
| Ambulance | 164 (93.2) | 253 (90.7) | 417 (91.6) | |
| Inpatient | 3 (1.7) | 20 (7.2) | 23 (5.1) | |
| Self-present | 9 (5.1) | 6 (2.2) | 15 (3.3) | |
| Thrombolysis, n (%) | 0.597 | |||
| Yes | 100 (56.8) | 142 (50.9) | 242 (53.2) | |
| No | 76 (43.2) | 122 (43.7) | 198 (43.5) | |
| Missing | 0 | 15 (5.4) | 15 (3.3) | |
| Transport by air, n (%) | <0.001 | |||
| Yes | 83 (47.2) | 3 (1.1) | 86 (18.9) | |
| No | 76 (43.2) | 271 (97.1) | 347 (76.3) | |
| Missing | 17 (9.7) | 5 (1.8) | 22 (4.8) | |
| Multileg outbound journey, n (%) | <0.001 | |||
| Yes | 82 (46.6) | 2 (0.7) | 84 (18.4) | |
| No | 71 (40.3) | 256 (91.8) | 327 (71.9) | |
| Missing | 23 (13.1) | 21 (7.5) | 44 (9.7) | |
| DIDO (min) | <0.001 | |||
| Median (Q1, Q3) | 132 (108, 167) | 107 (84, 145) | 114 (91.0, 150) | |
| Missing, n (%) | 85 (48.3) | 38 (13.6) | 123 (27) | |
| Outbound journey time (min) | <0.001 | |||
| Median (Q1, Q3) | 90.0 (73.0, 105) | 26.0 (20.0, 36.5) | 33.5 (23.0, 75.0) | |
| Missing, n (%) | 69 (39.2) | 56 (20.1) | 125 (27.5) | |
P values shown for Kruskal-Wallis test. A multileg outbound journey refers to any transfer involving two or more ambulance crews between the referring hospital and comprehensive stroke centre, including any transfers to and from an aircraft.
DIDO, door-in-door-out time; mRS, modified Rankin Scale; NIHSS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale.