Correlation between Clinical and Educational Factors and Delayed Hospital Arrival in Myocardial Infarction

Acute myocardial infarction is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the world, and one of the factors with the greatest prognostic impact is early specialist care, but there are still many factors that delay patient's arrival at the hospital. Objective: To correlate social, educational, cognitive and clinical factors with time to hospital arrival after the onset of acute myocardial infarction's first symptoms. Methods: Time interval to search for medical care was measured by patient's report of the onset of infarction's first symptoms and hospital admission verified through electronic medical data of the emergency service. The correlation between delta-T and other variables was performed through Kendall's correlation. Values of p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: There was no correlation between delta-T and scholarity, or between delta - T and Mini Mental State Examination performance, as well as no association between the presence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, family history, sedentary lifestyle or smoking with arrival time at the hospital. Comparisons between delta-T and marital status were also not statistically significant. Transfer from another health service and city of origin were the most determinant delay factors in our population's arrival at the hospital. Conclusion: The present study suggests that, in our population, educational, social and cognitive factors are not directly related to the delay in arriving at the hospital

Correlação entre fatores clínicos e educacionais e atraso na chegada ao hospital no infarto agudo do miocárdio / Corelation between clinical and educational factors and delayed hospital arrival in myocardial infarction

Background: Acute myocardial infarction is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the world, and one of the factors with the greatest prognostic impact is early specialist care, but there are still many factors that delay patient's arrival at the hospital. Objective: To correlate social, educational, cognitive and clinical factors with time to hospital arrival after the onset of acute myocardial infarction's first symptoms. Methods: Time interval to search for medical care was measured by patient's report of the onset of infarction's first symptoms and hospital admission verified through electronic medical data of the emergency service. The correlation between delta-T and other variables was performed through Kendall's correlation. Values of p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: There was no correlation between delta-T and scholarity, or between delta - T and Mini Mental State Examination performance, as well as no association between the presence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, family history, sedentary lifestyle or smoking with arrival time at the hospital. Comparisons between delta-T and marital status were also not statistically significant. Transfer from another health service and city of origin were the most determinant delay factors in our population's arrival at the hospital. Conclusion: The present study suggests that, in our population, educational, social and cognitive factors are not directly related to the delay in arriving at the hospital

Fundamentos: O infarto agudo do miocárdio se configura como uma das principais causas de morbimortalidade no mundo, e um dos fatores de maior impacto prognóstico é o atendimento especializado precoce, porém ainda existem inúmeros fatores que retardam a chegada do paciente até o hospital. Objetivo: Correlacionar fatores sociais, educacionais, cognitivos e clínicos com o tempo para a chegada no hospital após os primeiros sintomas de infarto agudo do miocárdio. Métodos: O tempo para a busca de atendimento médico foi mensurado entre o início dos primeiros sintomas de infarto relatado pelo paciente e o registro da admissão hospitalar em prontuário eletrônico do serviço de emergência. A correlação entre o delta T e outras variáveis foi verificada por meio da correlação de Kendall. Valores de p < 0,05 foram considerados estatisticamente significativos. Resultados: Não houve correlação entre delta T e escolaridade, e nem entre delta T e desempenho no Mini-Exame do Estado Mental, assim como não houve associação entre a presença de hipertensão arterial sistêmica, diabetes melito, dislipidemia, sedentarismo, história familiar ou tabagismo com o tempo de chegada no hospital. Comparações entre delta T e estado civil também não foram estatisticamente significativas. A transferência de outro serviço de saúde e a região de procedência foram os fatores que mais determinaram atraso no atendimento especializado de nossa população. Conclusão: Fatores educacionais, sociais e cognitivos não estiveram diretamente relacionados ao atraso na chegada ao hospital