Temporal Trends in Emergency Medical Services and General Practitioner Use for Acute Stroke After Australian Public Education Campaigns

Evaluating the influence of a 3-min online video on the community knowledge of stroke in four Arab countries

Introduction

Studies from developed and developing countries showed that the knowledge levels of stroke need improvement. Educational campaigns varied and were of limited influence predominantly because of their short duration and the need for financial support. The study aims to test the impact of a 3-min online video on the knowledge of stroke and factors influencing the knowledge score in four Arab countries.

Methods

A cross-sectional web-based pre-post study was conducted in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. The data were collected using the snowball technique. Participants were adults aged 18 years and above. The questionnaire sequence was conducting a pretest, followed by the educational video explaining stroke occurrence, types, risks, warning signs, preventive measures, and treatment, and finally, a posttest to evaluate the differences in knowledge from baseline. Statistical analysis included paired t-tests comparing pre-post-education stroke knowledge scores, while repeated measures ANOVA, adjusting for covariates, assessed mean changes.

Results

The total number of participants was 2,721, mainly younger than 55 years. The majority had a university degree and were not healthcare professionals. A significant improvement was noted in the total knowledge score in all countries from a mean average (Mpretest = 21.11; Mposttest = 23.70) with p < 0.001. Identification of the stroke risks (Mpretest = 7.40; Mposttest = 8.75) and warning signs (Mpretest = 4.19; Mposttest = 4.94), understanding the preventive measures (Mpretest = 5.27; Mposttest = 5.39) and the importance of acting fast (Mpretest = 0.82; Mposttest = 0.85) improved from baseline with (p < 0.001) for all score components.

Conclusion

The educational tool successfully enhanced public understanding of stroke risks, the identification of stroke signs, and the critical need for emergency action. The advantages of this video include its short length, free online access, use of evidence-based content in lay language, and reflective images. The ultimate goal remains the long-term improvement of sustainability by mandating full-scale trials.

Declining Public Awareness of Heart Attack Warning Symptoms in the Years Following an Australian Public Awareness Campaign: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

The National Heart Foundation of Australia's (NHFA) Warning Signs campaign ran between 2010 and 2013. This study examines trends in Australian adults' ability to name heart attack symptoms during the campaign and in the years following.

METHODS

Using the NHFA's HeartWatch data (quarterly online surveys) for adults aged 30-59 years, we conducted an adjusted piecewise regression analysis comparing trends in the ability to name symptoms during the campaign period plus one year lag (2010-2014) to the post-campaign period (2015-2020) RESULTS: Over the study period, there were 101,936 Australian adults surveyed. Symptom awareness was high or increased during the campaign period. However, there was a significant downward trend in each year following the campaign period for most symptoms (e.g., chest pain: adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =0.91, 95%CI: 0.56-0.80; arm pain: AOR=0.92, 95%CI: 0.90-0.94). Conversely, the inability to name any heart attack symptom increased in each year following the campaign (3.7% in 2010 to 19.9% in 2020; AOR=1.13, 95%CI: 1.10-1.15); these respondents were more likely to be younger, male, have less than 12 years of education, identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples, speak a language other than English at home and have no cardiovascular risk factors.

CONCLUSION

Awareness of heart attack symptoms has decreased in the years since the Warning Signs campaign in Australia, with 1 in 5 adults currently unable to name a single heart attack symptom. New approaches are needed to promote and sustain this knowledge, and to ensure people act appropriately and promptly if symptoms occur.

The impact of a Danish stroke campaign: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the impact of the Danish stroke campaign, 1 year after initiation.

MATERIALS & METHODS

The campaign ran in various media during 2019-2020. We performed a two-centre, repeated cross-sectional study in 2018 (before campaign) and again in 2020 based on data from structured interviews of patients and bystanders, medical records and the Danish Stroke Registry. Primary outcomes were patient delay and system delay. Patient delay is defined as the time from symptom onset until the first contact to a healthcare professional, whereas system delay is the time from this contact until arrival at the stroke centre. Secondary outcomes were primary emergency medical services (EMS) contact, arrival at a stroke centre within 3 h of symptom onset, initiation of reperfusion therapy and knowledge of ≥2 core symptoms of stroke.

RESULTS

We included 852 patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack. Patient delay and system delay were a median of 166 min and 96 min before the campaign and were non-significantly reduced by 16 min (95% CI -128 to 97) and 7 min (95% CI -21 to 6) in the second period. We found no significant differences in the clinical outcomes. The knowledge of ≥2 core symptoms increased from 22% to 30% (OR 1.63; 95% CI 1.15 to 2.30) in patients and from 53% to 65% (OR 1.81; 95% CI 1.24 to 2.64) in bystanders.

CONCLUSION

Patient delay, system delay and clinical outcomes remained relatively unchanged. However, the knowledge of core symptoms had improved 1 year after campaign initiation.

Comparison of the Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset to medical records for emergency presentations for acute cardiovascular conditions and unspecified chest pain

OBJECTIVE

The Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset (VEMD) collects administrative and clinical data for all presentations to Victorian public ED. The present study aimed to examine the level of agreement between the VEMD data and the medical record for a sample of patients coded as having acute cardiovascular conditions (acute coronary syndrome, stroke and transient ischaemic attack [TIA]) and unspecified chest pain in the VEMD.

METHODS

Six months of data provided to the VEMD from a large metropolitan hospital was obtained, and a random sample of 10% of cases (n = 310) were selected for review. Data for eight VEMD items were compared for concordance to data recorded in the ED medical record.

RESULTS

Complete concordance between the VEMD and medical records for all eight items was observed only for 101 (33%) presentations. Overall, the least concordant variables were those with a high number of coding options: usual type of accommodation (76%), referral pattern (84%) and primary diagnosis (85%). The concordance of the VEMD primary diagnosis varied when examined as individual codes (range 75%-100%) and when combined (acute coronary syndrome = 94%, stroke or TIA = 85% and chest pain unspecified = 75%). The level of agreement for some items improved when VEMD codings were combined.

CONCLUSION

When compared to the medical record, our data suggest there is likely variation in the accuracy of some VEMD items, and suggests a larger prospective validation of the VEMD is warranted. For researchers using existing VEMD data, combining of some codes may be necessary.

Planning a campaign to fight stroke: an educational pilot project in La Spezia, Italy

INTRODUCTION

Best medical treatments of ischemic stroke are admission to stroke unit, intravenous thrombolysis and, in selected cases, thrombectomy. Time from symptom onset to interventions is the best predictor of clinical outcome. In order to verify the effectiveness of an active education programme of awareness on the knowledge of stroke, we performed a local campaign "on the field".

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

We selected 101 subjects from the general population who took part in the "stroke awareness campaign" organised by the Italian Association for the fight against stroke (A.L.I.Ce). Mean age was 59 years (50% female; 50% male); 55% of the sample reported a high level of education (> 8 years: high school or university degree). After a short multiple-choice questionnaire, we administered a face-to-face standard educational protocol (15 min). The efficacy of that educational intervention was then verified after a period of 12 months, by telephone interview.

RESULTS

There was improvement both in the definition of stroke (66% vs. 92%, p < .001) and in recognizing symptoms and signs (19% vs. 72%, p < .001). Knowledge of the importance of stroke unit in the acute treatment of stroke did not improve, as it was already high on baseline (92% vs. 97%, p: n.s.). The improvement was evident in particular in younger and higher educated people, without difference in gender. There was no difference based on risk factor profiles of participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that a personalised education can improve knowledge on stroke symptoms and signs, independently of gender and personal risk factors. The results should be verified in larger and less selection population.