BACKGROUND: For @entity64 @entity1 , calling an ambulance has been shown to be associated with faster times to hospital than contacting a family physician. However little is known about the impact of decisions made by family physicians on delay times for @entity64 @entity1 once they have been called.We aimed to test the hypotheses that among ambulance transported @entity64 @entity1 :    Factors associated with first calling a family physician, could be identified.    Time to ambulance call will be longer when a family physician is first contacted.    Medical examination prior to the ambulance call will be associated with longer delay times. METHODS: For 6 months in 2004, all ambulance-transported @entity64 @entity1 who presented from a defined region in Melbourne, Australia to one of three hospitals were assessed. Ambulance and hospital records were analysed. The @entity1 and the @entity1 who called the ambulance were interviewed to obtain their description of the @entity64 event. RESULTS: 198 @entity1 were included in the study. In 32% of cases an ambulance was first called. No demographic or situational factors were associated with first calling a doctor. @entity1 with a history of @entity64 or @entity4905 were less likely to call a doctor following symptom onset (p = 0.01). @entity1 with a severe @entity64 (Glasgow @entity772 Scale < 9) never called a doctor first.When a family physician was contacted (22% of cases), the time to ambulance call was significantly longer than when an ambulance was first called (p = 0.0018) (median 143 and 44 minutes, respectively). In 36% of calls to a family physician, the doctor elected to first examine the @entity1 . Time to ambulance call was shorter when the doctor vetted the call and advised the caller to immediately call an ambulance (45%) (median 412 and 92 minutes respectively: p = 0.06). CONCLUSION: Time delays to ambulance call were significantly longer for @entity64 @entity1 when a family physician was first contacted. Further extensive delays were experienced by @entity1 when the family physician elected to examine the @entity1 .Family physicians and their staff have an important role to play in averting potential delays for @entity64 @entity1 by screening calls and providing immediate advice to "call an ambulance".

Family physician decisions following XXXX symptom onset and delay times to ambulance call.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Patients', 'patients', 'patient', 'person'] @entity4905 :: ('MESH:D002546', 'Disease') :: ['TIA'] @entity64 :: ('MESH:D020521', 'Disease') :: ['stroke'] @entity772 :: ('MESH:D003128', 'Disease') :: ['Coma']
@entity64 :: (MESH:D020521,Disease) :: ['stroke']
