Stroke Recognition Improvement Project: An Educational Program for Rural Communities at Risk

Stroke Recognition Improvement Project: An Educational Program for Rural Communities at Risk, is a public health campaign aimed at improving stroke awareness through education on prevention and risk, recognition of stroke symptoms, and urgency to seek treatment. In the United States, stroke continues to be a leading cause of death while the aftermath of stroke continues to leave many stroke victims robbed of quality of life due to disability. Stroke is a treatable condition when promptly recognized and when treatment is provided early. Yet many individuals are not aware of stroke symptoms, personal risk, devastating stroke disability, and available treatments that can limit or improve stroke outcomes. Due to the discrepancy in stroke knowledge, many individuals are delaying potentially limiting life-saving treatments such as tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). The review of literature suggests that the Uintah Basin has high risk factor rates for stroke and are distanced from optimal stroke treatment due to rurality. The objective of this project was to launch a public health campaign aimed at educating the residents of Uintah County on the signs and symptoms of stroke and the urgency to seek treatment. Results from prior studies support utilizing public health campaigning approach because of the low numbers of 911 calls that are made by victim themselves. More often, friends and family have been the ones to recognize a stroke and seek emergency treatment. Further research indicates many individuals still lack knowledge of stroke prevention, symptom recognition, and urgency to call 911. Recommendations have been established to make stroke awareness an educational priority. This stroke awareness project was designed to target groups of the community who may be at risk, as well as family and friends. For this project, a variety educational materials and disseminating outlets were utilized such as pamphlets, posters, presentations, social media, and public service announcements on TV and radio. Descriptive statistics and data were used to analyize pre- and post-test responses using an intuitive approach to evaluate differences. Data collected were evaluated by determining the participant's stroke knowledge prior to education and then after. Analysis of this data supported the project's goal of increasing stroke knowledge, symptom recognition, and importance of calling 911. The effectiveness of a community wide campaign was evaluated by analysis of the populations that received the education and whether or not these groups represented the intended target groups and the community as a whole. A critical review of the campaign was completed by two content experts and a project chair. To evaluate whether or not participants would increase their behavioral decisions to call 911, the differences in pre- and post- responses were analyzed to determine whether or not the perception of urgency to treat stoke had improved with education. The results of data analysis collected from pre- and post-test questionnaires showed an increase in participants' knowledge of the signs and symptoms of stroke and the importance of seeking emergency treatment. Results from this project support the need for stroke awareness campaigning. Identifying health disparities in any community will continue to play an important role in creating educational campaigns focused on improving health outcomes.