The goal of the Manitoba Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) Network’s “Dial Don’t Drive” project is to decrease delays for patients with chest pain and potential heart attack to receive medical care. The key message of “Dial Don’t Drive” emphasizes the importance of calling 911 instead of driving oneself to the doctor or the emergency department, and education about the typical and atypical symptoms of a heart attack. This includes not only chest pain, but shortness of breath, excessive sweating, nausea or heartburn.

The Dial Don’t Drive project will harness the power of social media for this mass media campaign through Facebook, Instagram and promotional material.

The elements of this multi-phased social media campaign include:

- Team STEMI (showcasing health care professionals that a patient may meet when having a heart attack)

- Patient Voices (describing patient journeys and experiences)

- Education (focusing on patient education)

- Ask Me Anything (interactive question and answer)

- Seasonal (leveraging existing networks to celebrate key dates)

The DDD study objectives are to:

- decrease patient-related delays in seeking care for chest pain syndrome

- increase the proportion of patients calling 911 for chest pain syndromes instead of presenting to the emergency department

- improve clinical outcomes such as death, less heart damage and heart failure

The effects of the DDD project will be immediate and impactful – leading to patient benefits as well as the improved efficiency and cost-savings for Manitoba’s healthcare system. Since heart attack patients will present sooner and receive appropriate treatment faster, they are less likely to have long-term complications or require complex cardiac care.

Panel Writeup

Heart attacks and emergency treatment

Only around half of Manitobans call 911 when having a heart attack – and one in 18 Manitobans who drive themselves to the hospital during an attack will die. For every hour treatment is delayed, the chance of severe damage or death rises 10 per cent. People who call 911 instead of driving themselves to the hospital are diagnosed with heart attacks three times faster.