Community Socioeconomic and Urban-Rural Disparities in Prehospital Notification of Stroke by Emergency Medical Services in North Carolina.

Across a large, diverse population, EMS prenotification occurred in only one-third of suspected stroke patients. Furthermore, low SES and rural tracts were independently associated with a lower likelihood of prehospital notification. These findings suggest the need for education and quality improvement initiatives to increase EMS stroke prenotification, particularly in underserved communities.