BACKGROUND Timely reperfusion in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) improves outcomes. System delay is that between first medical contact and reperfusion therapy, comprising prehospital and hospital components. This study aimed to characterize prehospital system delay in Singapore. METHODS A retrospective chart review was performed for 462 consecutive STEMI patients presenting...

OBJECTIVES To study the delay from the time of symptom onset to assessment by a Rheumatologist in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to determine the contributions of patient and physician dependent factors to this delay. METHODS Data were collected from 169 consecutive patients with RA at the time of assessment by Rheumatologists working in hospitals serving an inner city population...

BACKGROUND Despite the recent advances in medicine, still many people suffer from long-standing tuberculosis. Delay in the diagnosis may result in further mortality and morbidity. Because of the importance of delay in the diagnosis, we decided to study and evaluate the patient delay and physician delay. METHODS A descriptive analytical study was done on 97 patients referred to the National Re...

Objectives. To study the delay from the time of symptom onset to assessment by a Rheumatologist in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to determine the contributions of patient and physician dependent factors to this delay. Methods. Data were collected from 169 consecutive patients with RA at the time of assessment by Rheumatologists working in hospitals serving an inner city population...

Delays in treating breast cancer have been associated with a more advanced stage of the disease and a decrease in patient survival rates. The scope of this integrative review was to analyze the main causal factors and types of patient and system delays. The underlying causal factors of delays were compared among studies conducted in developing and developed countries. Of the 53 studies selected...