Table 1.

Comparison of demographic data and key transfer times within the study cohort

	Regional (N=176)	Metropolitan (N=279)	Overall (N=455)	P value
Sex, n (%)				0.519
Female	72 (40.9)	124 (44.4)	196 (43.1)
Male	104 (59.1)	155 (55.6)	259 (56.9)
Age (years)				0.273
Median (Q1, Q3)	72.0 (64.0, 78.0)	73.0 (64.0, 81.0)	73.0 (64.0, 80.0)
NIHSS score on first assessment				0.151
Median (Q1, Q3)	15.0 (9.00, 19.0)	16.0 (10.0, 20.0)	15.0 (10.0, 20.0)
Missing, n (%)	16 (9.1)	31 (11.1)	47 (10.3)
Premorbid mRS, n (%)				0.071
0	131 (74.4)	180 (64.5)	311 (68.4)
1	17 (9.7)	44 (15.8)	61 (13.4)
2	8 (4.5)	9 (3.2)	17 (3.7)
≥3	4 (2.3)	11 (4.0)	15 (3.2)
Missing	16 (9.1)	35 (12.5)	51 (11.2)
Arrival mode, n (%)				0.009
Ambulance	164 (93.2)	253 (90.7)	417 (91.6)
Inpatient	3 (1.7)	20 (7.2)	23 (5.1)
Self-present	9 (5.1)	6 (2.2)	15 (3.3)
Thrombolysis, n (%)				0.597
Yes	100 (56.8)	142 (50.9)	242 (53.2)
No	76 (43.2)	122 (43.7)	198 (43.5)
Missing	0	15 (5.4)	15 (3.3)
Transport by air, n (%)				<0.001
Yes	83 (47.2)	3 (1.1)	86 (18.9)
No	76 (43.2)	271 (97.1)	347 (76.3)
Missing	17 (9.7)	5 (1.8)	22 (4.8)
Multileg outbound journey, n (%)				<0.001
Yes	82 (46.6)	2 (0.7)	84 (18.4)
No	71 (40.3)	256 (91.8)	327 (71.9)
Missing	23 (13.1)	21 (7.5)	44 (9.7)
DIDO (min)				<0.001
Median (Q1, Q3)	132 (108, 167)	107 (84, 145)	114 (91.0, 150)
Missing, n (%)	85 (48.3)	38 (13.6)	123 (27)
Outbound journey time (min)				<0.001
Median (Q1, Q3)	90.0 (73.0, 105)	26.0 (20.0, 36.5)	33.5 (23.0, 75.0)
Missing, n (%)	69 (39.2)	56 (20.1)	125 (27.5)

P values shown for Kruskal-Wallis test. A multileg outbound journey refers to any transfer involving two or more ambulance crews between the referring hospital and comprehensive stroke centre, including any transfers to and from an aircraft.

DIDO, door-in-door-out time; mRS, modified Rankin Scale; NIHSS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale.