What are the racial/ethnic differences in the use of emergency medical services for stroke patients in the US?
According to the studies of Ojike et al (2016) and Mochari-Greenberger et al (2015), there are significant racial/ethnic disparities in the use of emergency medical services for stroke patients in the US. African-Americans were found to be less likely to receive EMS transport than White Americans, according to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) (Ojike et al., 2016). Similarly, Mochari-Greenberger et al. (2015) found that African-Americans were less likely to receive EMS transport than Whites, Hispanics, and Asians in the National Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Registry (GWTG-Stroke). These disparities remain even after adjusting for other factors such as age, sex, comorbidities, and stroke severity. The authors suggest that targeted interventions may be necessary to reduce these disparities and improve the delivery of timely stroke care.   