Abstract TP344: Does Stroke Education Including Post Discharge Telephone Support Improve Stroke Recognition And Need To Call 911?

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Due to short hospital stays and fragmented education attempts, inpatient stroke education can be inadequate. The purpose of this randomized feasibility study was to determine if an enhanced inpatient/post discharge telephonic stroke education strategy improved patient recognition of signs and symptoms of stroke and the need to call 911 compared to usual stroke unit education by staff nurses. Methods: This pilot study consisted of 25 stroke or TIA inpatients discharged to home, who were randomly assigned to an intervention or usual care group. Of the 18 patients with complete data, 9 were intervention and 9 were control patients. The educational intervention included a sit-down, in-patient, formalized education session, encouraging family/significant other involvement, a 30 day follow-up phone call, and 60 day educational mailings. Usual care education involved a stroke education booklet and variable verbal instruction by staff nurses. All patients received a 90 day telephone call to evaluate outcomes. Results: An average time of 27 minutes was spent on education with intervention patients. Stroke symptoms such as trouble speaking, numbness, tingling and weakness were correctly identified by both groups 95-100% of the time. Dizziness and loss of balance were also correctly identified by 95% of participants. Additionally 95% of participants said they would call 911 with stroke symptom onset; whereas, only 56% of the patients originally arrived on site via EMS. Conclusions: Staff nurse education on stroke units is highly effective. The control group retained as much information as the intervention group at 90 days post discharge, leaving little to no room for improvement by enhanced education. These data indicate that the inpatient stroke education was sufficient to ensure recognition of signs and symptoms of stroke and the need to call 911 90 days post discharge. Further research is necessary to determine the effectiveness of stroke education provided by community education initiatives and the media, as well as its effects on lifestyle modifications.