Prehospital Delay during an Acute Ischemic Stroke in India: A Qualitative Systematic Review

Prehospital delay during a stroke is a global concern that affects the treatment modality and outcome of stroke victims. Understanding the underlying reasons for prehospital delays is essential to implement interventions to reduce the delay effectively. The review aims to study the recent evidence from various Indian regions to understand the underlying reasons for prehospital delays. The protocol of the review is registered under PROSPERO (ID: CRD42023476369). A qualitative approach was employed due to the lack of evidence from most Indian regions for comparison. Coding of each document followed by theme building was employed. Critical evaluations and comments were made on each theme while writing the content. Major reasons for prehospital delay include poor awareness regarding stroke symptoms, distance from the stroke center and location of the victim, income, and so on. Evidence from most of the Indian regions is not available on this topic. Nationwide studies are required to understand regional differences and major factors resulting in prehospital delay.