The growth and development of a research study: why stroke survivors wait so long

The recent focus on stroke treatment has revealed that stroke survivors are not reaching emergency care early enough to benefit from available treatment modalities. As a result, the authors designed a study to determine the factors that influence the timing of seeking health care for stroke symptoms. Encouraged and supported by peers across the country, it became a collaborative national multicenter research study. This article describes the process used to develop the research study, as well as the challenges encountered along the way.