Rural Alberta thrombolysis study. Survey of practice patterns for managing acute myocardial infarction.
OBJECTIVE: To determine current practice patterns for managing acute myocardial infarction in rural Alberta, particularly to examine the availability of thrombolytic therapy. DESIGN: Mailed questionnaire based on a clinical vignette. SETTING: All 104 acute care hospitals in rural Alberta with fewer than 100 beds. PARTICIPANTS: The Chief of Staff at each hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportion of hospitals providing thrombolytic therapy, choice of thrombolytic agent, rates of elective transfer after thrombolysis, and barriers preventing universal use of thrombolytic therapy. RESULTS: Questionnaires were completed by 101 physicians. Three hospitals had no medical staff. Thrombolytic therapy was available in 80.8% of the hospitals. Hospitals that did not offer thrombolysis were smaller (average bed capacity 21.9 versus 37.7, P < 0.001), had fewer medical staff (average number 2.4 versus 5.5, P < 0.001), and had fewer nurses holding Advanced Cardiac Life Support certification (P = 0.015) than hospitals providing thrombolysis. Physicians identified inadequate nursing resources as the greatest barrier to providing thrombolysis. Of physicians using thrombolysis, 71.4% chose streptokinase. Half of the physicians preferred elective transfer after the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction is standard practice in small hospitals in Alberta.