Baseline hospital characteristics of 980 hospitals overall and by intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV-rt PA) quartile
| IV-rt PA quartiles, median adherence rate | ||||||
| Overall | Quartile 1 | Quartile 2 | Quartile 3 | Quartile 4 | P value * | |
| <5.7%† | 5.7%–16.9% | 16.9%–33.3% | >33.3% | |||
| (n=980) | (n=235) | (n=269) | (n=250) | (n=226) | ||
| Macroeconomic characteristics | ||||||
| GRP per capita, mean (SD), ¥ | 61 452 (23 694) | 52 657 (17 565) | 57 560 (22 278) | 65 013 (23 039) | 71 288 (27 074) | <0.001 |
| Hospital characteristics | ||||||
| Training, skills and expertise | ||||||
| Acute ischaemic stroke volume | 525 (243–946) | 366 (200–703) | 577 (275–976) | 591 (303–1041) | 572 (212–1005) | <0.001 |
| Tertiary hospital (n, %) | 583 (59.5%) | 110 (46.8%) | 160 (59.5%) | 164 (65.6%) | 149 (65.9%) | <0.001 |
| Comprehensive stroke centre (n, %) | 223 (22.8%) | 28 (11.9%) | 54 (20.1%) | 72 (28.8%) | 69 (30.5%) | <0.001 |
| Teaching hospital (n, %) | 697 (88.2%) | 152 (86.9%) | 186 (85.3%) | 180 (88.2%) | 179 (92.7%) | 0.044 |
| Hospital with NEU (n, %) | 969 (98.9%) | 232 (98.7%) | 267 (99.3%) | 247 (98.8%) | 223 (98.7%) | 0.833 |
| Hospital beds in NEU, mean | 88 | 82 | 90 | 93 | 87 | 0.022 |
| Hospital with stroke unit (n, %) | 672 (69.4%) | 152 (65.5%) | 178 (66.4%) | 171 (69.5%) | 171 (77.0%) | 0.006 |
| Hospital facility and staffing | ||||||
| Hospital with ED (n, %) | 967 (99.1%) | 228 (97.4%) | 269 (100.0%) | 246 (98.8%) | 224 (100.0%) | 0.026 |
| Beds in ED, mean | 17 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 0.306 |
| Hospital with neurologists (n, %) | 950 (99.7%) | 235 (100.0%) | 268 (99.6%) | 249 (99.6%) | 223 (99.6%) | 0.402 |
| Neurologists, mean | 15 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 14 | <0.001 |
| Hospital with stroke nurses (n, %) | 963 (99.2%) | 230 (99.1%) | 266 (99.3%) | 245 (98.4%) | 222 (100.0%) | 0.558 |
| Hospital with stroke team (n, %) | 879 (91.2%) | 197 (84.9%) | 245 (91.8%) | 231 (94.7%) | 206 (93.2%) | <0.001 |
| Hospital providing ED services of thrombolysis (n, %) | 948 (98.3%) | 225 (97.0%) | 263 (98.5%) | 242 (98.8%) | 218 (99.1%) | 0.041 |
| Thrombolytic specialists, mean | 10 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 0.082 |
| CT, mean | 2.15 | 1.91 | 2.15 | 2.20 | 2.36 | <0.001 |
| MRI, mean | 1.44 | 1.33 | 1.41 | 1.47 | 1.57 | 0.002 |
| Fixed beds in ED for neurological treatment, mean | 58 | 52 | 62 | 61 | 55 | 0.058 |
| Organisational elements | ||||||
| Cooperation with emergency centres (n, %) | 938 (96.2%) | 218 (93.6%) | 266 (98.9%) | 237 (95.2%) | 217 (96.9%) | 0.309 |
| Hospital with stroke-specific protocols (n, %) | 874 (90.6%) | 200 (87.3%) | 244 (91.0%) | 223 (90.3%) | 207 (93.7%) | 0.039 |
*P values are based on Cochran-Armitage test for categorical variables and Jonckheere-Terpstra trend test for continuous variables.
†Calculated by N1/N2, N1 indicates the number of eligible patients receiving IV-rt PA; N2 represents the number of patients eligible for IV-rt PA.
CT, computed tomography; ED, emergency department; GRP, gross regional product; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; NEU, neurology department.