For patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stroke prompt diagnosis and treatment is essential. Before a patient reaches the hospital he may have had contact with a general practitioner (GP), a GP cooperative (GPC), ambulance service, or Emergency Department. Optimal use and efficient functioning of the acute health care chain is imperative. The aim of the MICK study is to obtain insight into circumstances in which symptoms of patients occur, medical contacts throughout the acute care chain, delays, door-to-balloon and door-to-needle time. This is a prospective observational study including 202 patients suspected of having ACS and 239 suspected of ischemic stroke. Patients filled out a questionnaire and additional data was obtained using registries.\ud
Over 40% of all patients suspected of ACS waited more than 6 hours before contacting a health care provider and over 30% of all patients suspected of having a stroke waited more than 4 hours. Patients reached the hospital through many different health care chains. Once a care provider was contacted, 45% of all patients with ACS were hospitalized within 90 minutes at the CCU and 65% of patients with stroke within 4 hours at the stroke unit.\ud
Most patients first contacted the GP or GPC. For patients who immediately called 112 time to hospitalization was the shortest.\ud
Overall are noticeable the long patient delays in seeking care, the various chains through which patients reach the CCU or stroke unit and the different throughput times
