Knowledge of Risk Factors and Warning Signs of Stroke Among Patients with Heart Disease at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital

Awareness of stroke, its signs, and risk factors: A cross-sectional population-based survey in Ghana

Background and Aims

The prevalence of stroke in sub-Saharan Africa is steadily rising, leading to a growing strain on the healthcare system in the region. In the context of Ghana, stroke ranks as the third most prevalent cause of mortality. The current body of scholarly research on stroke awareness in Ghana is quite limited. The aim of this study is to assess the level of awareness of stroke, as well as its signs and symptoms among the Ghanaian population.

Methods

The study employed a cross-sectional quantitative methodology, wherein 1000 participants completed self-administered structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were utilized to summarize the participants' socio-demographic characteristics and their responses. To assess the relationship between participants' sociodemographic traits and their awareness of stroke signs, symptoms, risk factors, and perception, the Chi-square test of independence was conducted using IBM SPSS version 26. A significance level of p < 0.05 was established.

Results

The study identified limited awareness regarding stroke symptoms, warning signs, and risk factors. The participants exhibited an overall knowledge range of 25.9% to 47.2% concerning stroke signs and symptoms, and a range of 24%-39% regarding its causes and risk factors. Notably, paralysis (70.8%) and diet (59.9%) were the most easily recognized warning signs and risk factors for stroke, respectively. Sociodemographic characteristics such as age, religion, educational status, exposure to stroke, employment status, and marital status were shown to be associated with participants knowledge of stroke (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

The study's results indicated a widespread lack of knowledge concerning the causes and risk factors of stroke among the Ghanaian population, highlighting the necessity for increased public education efforts to raise awareness about this condition.

Navigating the Knowledge of Risk Factors, Warning Signs, of Stroke - A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study Among Saudi Adults in Riyadh Saudi Arabia

Background

The incidence of stroke is increasing in everyday life as a result of modifiable cerebrovascular risk factors and aging. Therefore, the goal of this study was to assess knowledge of the risk factors, and warning signs, of stroke and to determine associated demographic factors among individuals living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Methods and Materials

A cross-sectional online study using a convenience sampling of general population living in Riyadh was carried out over three months in 2023 using a series of questionnaires that was adopted from the previous study. Before data collection, the study tool was subjected to pilot testing among a small sample of individuals to validate for consistency and reliability. The data was collected using social media platforms. A statistical package for the social science (SPSS version 27) was used.

Results

Four hundred and sixty-two individuals completed the survey. Among those 69.5%, identified hypertension as a risk factor for stroke followed by hyperlipidemia (42.9%), heart disease (44.8%). In addition, most of the respondents (n = 332, 71.9%) knew that numbness or weakness of the face and/or limbs of the body was a warning sign of stroke. In this, 73.5% (n=249) of the respondents agreed that if they saw an individual suffering from a stroke, they would like to take the patient to the hospital immediately. However, there was a significant association between the knowledge of the respondents about the risk factor of stroke and educational degree (p=0.011), and parents working in healthcare settings (p =0.015).

Conclusion

In conclusion it was observed that a significant respondents had an adequate knowledge of stroke risk factors, while most were unaware of the early warning signs of a stroke. To promote primary prevention and early management/outcomes, we advise that future regional campaigns focus on raising knowledge and recognition of stroke symptoms.

Stroke related knowledge, prevention practices and associated factors among stroke patients in Taizhou, China

Stroke is characterized by high morbidity, high mortality and high disability rate, which is a major health problem worldwide. However, most community-based studies report a lack of public knowledge related to stroke. The aim of this study is to investigate stroke-related knowledge and prevention practices among stroke patients in Taizhou, China. A face-to-face survey was conducted and questionnaires were completed by 156 S patients from June 27 to August 30, 2022. A generalized linear model was applied to explore the factors influencing prevention practices. Among the total participants, 36.5% and 40.4% of them had good knowledge of the stroke-related warning signs and risk factors, respectively. Participants who had good stroke prevention practices accounted for 57.7%. The higher score of stroke-related knowledge among inpatients, the better their prevention practices (B = 0.16, 95 %CI: 0.05 ∼ 0.28). In addition, those with age ≥ 60 (B = 1.20, 95 %CI: 0.42 ∼ 1.97), females (B = 0.93, 95 %CI: 0.24 ∼ 1.61), having physical activities (B = 1.01, 95 %CI: 0.33 ∼ 1.68), or without underlying diseases (B = -1.67, 95 %CI:-2.42 ∼ -0.92) were also related with prevention practices. In general, this survey indicated that the stroke-related knowledge and prevention practices of participants were not good enough. Stroke related knowledge, age, sex, physical activity, and underlying disease were significant factors related to stroke prevention practices. These findings suggest the need to focus on stroke health education for stroke patients.

Al-Rawi M. Evaluation of knowledge of risk factors and warning signs of stroke - An observational study among future health care professionals

Background and objective

The role of healthcare professionals in society is unique since they are providers of health information and medication counseling to patients. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate Knowledge of Risk Factors and Warning Signs of Stroke among undergraduate health care Students (UHCS) at King Saud University (KSU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Methodology

An online cross-sectional study was conducted among UHCS at KSU, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from September to November 2022, using self-administered 34-item questionnaires divided into five sections to assess participants' knowledge of stroke risk factors, warning signs, and management and source of information about the stroke. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26 was used to analyze the data (SPSS).

Results

Of the 300 questionnaires distributed, 205 students completed the questionnaires, giving a response rate of 68.3%. Of whom 63 (30.7%) were pharmacy, 81 (39.5%) were nursing and 61 (29.8%) were emergency medical services (EMS) Students. One hundred and eighty-two (88.8%) of the students agreed that stroke affects bodily movement. With regards to risk factors, students identified high blood pressure 182 (88.8%), followed by heart disease 175 (85.4%), advanced age 164 (80%), previous Stroke history 158(77.1%), and lack of physical activity 156 (76.1%). Difficulty in speaking or slurred speech 164 (80%), dizziness, and loss of balance 163 (79.5%) were identified as the warning signs of stroke. In this study, 41.3 % of the pharmacy students reported a good level of knowledge than nursing and EMS students. However, 32.2% (N = 66) of the healthcare undergraduates reported good knowledge. The knowledge score was significantly associated with the year of study, and educational degree (p = 0.0001). Furthermore, there were no differences between parents working in healthcare settings (p = 0.99).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the knowledge of stroke among healthcare students at King Saud University varied. The reported knowledge gap mostly relates to stroke risk factors and warning signs. Therefore, increasing public awareness of potential risk factors and stroke warning signs needs to receive more attention.

Factors influencing alertness to premonitory symptoms in stroke patients with pre-hospital delay

OBJECTIVE

The purpose was to explore the alertness of premonitory symptoms in stroke patients with prehospital delay, and to analyze the influencing factors.

DESIGN AND SAMPLE

A cross-sectional study using the convenience sampling method was conducted in the neurology department of a general hospital between November 2018 and July 2019. A total of 352 stroke patients were participated in the survey.

MEASURES

A hierarchical multiple regression was performed to analyze the factors related to the alertness of premonitory symptoms (0-9 scores) in stroke patients with prehospital delay.

RESULTS

The alertness score was 6.53 ± 2.377. The lowest score of 0.55 ± 0.498 was for "Continuous yawning occurs continuously despite no tiredness or lack of sleep is okay, and need not be treated." The hierarchical regression results revealed that symptom onset, symptom change before admission, knowledge, social support were the influencing factors delaying the alertness of premonitory symptoms. Knowledge and support from friends could improve the alertness, while support from family and other support had a notable negative impact.

CONCLUSIONS

Stroke patients need to be more alert toward premonitory symptoms. This alertness is related to stroke knowledge and social support. Nurses should formulate interventions and advise stroke patients to improve their stroke knowledge and expand their social network.

Lived experiences of stroke survivors in India: A phenomenological study

BACKGROUND

Stroke is a major cause of long-term disability and has a potentially enormous emotional and socio-economic impact on patients, their families, and health services. Perceptions of patients with stroke have already been studied worldwide, which are unique in terms of their cultural background. However, in India, there is a lack of studies about the experience of the disease by stroke survivors and their perspectives of understanding the situation.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore lived experience of stroke survivors in India.

METHODS

A phenomenological study design was used. In-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of ten stroke survivors who had experienced post-stroke deficits three months to one year after stroke. Data were analyzed using Diekelmann's hermeneutical approach to identify underlying themes.

RESULTS

Two main themes emerged: (1) emergence of stroke (actual occurrence, mental perception, and recognition of illness) and (2) therapeutic concerns (enhanced and weakened recovery).

CONCLUSION

Recognizing how patients experience the illness is crucial in planning care for stroke survivors. Strengthening factors enhancing recovery and limiting the hindering factors through effective therapeutic management is a necessity. The findings might also contribute to refining existing interventions and designing holistic multi-component rehabilitation programs that facilitate easy recovery. The study also highlights the need for providing information to general public on recognizing warning signs of stroke.

Stroke Related Knowledge, Prevention Practices and Associated Factors Among Hypertensive Patients at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021

Introduction

Stroke is a global health problem, causing significant morbidities and mortalities in both developing and developed countries. Patients living with chronic diseases like hypertension are at a high risk of stroke. Approximately 80% of strokes could be prevented with necessary preventive practices. There is scarce evidence in the preventive practices in Ethiopia, particularly in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to assess knowledge and prevention practices related to stroke among hypertensive patients at the University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital, northwest Ethiopia.

Methods

An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 393 hypertensive patients at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital from May 1st to June 30th, 2021. The study participants were selected by a systematic random sampling technique. A semi-structured and interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data was entered into EPI Info version 7.2.1 and analyzed with SPSS version 23.0. Binary logistic regression analyses were undertaken to identify associated factors. The level of significance was determined using the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with its 95% CI at a p-value of 0.05.

Results

Participants in this study had adequate knowledge of stroke and good prevention practices in 40.7% (95% CI: 35.9, 45.5) and 51.7% (95 CI: 46.8, 56.5) of cases, respectively. Attending secondary education and above 4.6 (95% CI: 2.08, 10.17), knowing someone who has had a stroke 13.17 (95% CI: 7.3, 23.77), and physical activity 4.05 (95% CI: 2.23, 7.36) were all significantly associated with adequate stroke knowledge. Furthermore, educational status (attending primary education 2.61 (95% CI: 1.44, 4.73) and secondary education and above 3.75 (95% CI: 1.99, 7.05), being an urban dweller 9.65 (95% CI: 5.04, 18.44), duration of hypertension 1.9 (95% CI: 1.15, 3.14), knowing someone with a stroke 2.27 (95% CI: 1.30, 3.93), and physical activity 1.76 (95% CI: 1.03, 3.01) were associated with good stroke prevention practices.

Conclusion

The proportion of participants with good-related knowledge and prevention practice is relatively good.

Factors contributing to delay intensive care unit admission of critically ill patients from the adult emergency Department in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital

BACKGROUND

The transfer time for critically ill patients from the emergency department (ED) to the Intensive care unit (ICU) must be minimal; however, some factors prolong the transfer time, which may delay intensive care treatment and adversely affect the patient's outcome.

PURPOSE

To identify factors affecting intensive care unit admission of critically ill patients from the emergency department.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study design was conducted from January 13 to April 12, 2020, at the emergency department of Tikur Anbesa Specialized Hospital. All critically ill patients who need intensive care unit admission during the study period were included in the study. A pretested structured questionnaire was adapted from similar studies. The data were collected by chart review and observation. Then checked data were entered into Epi-data version 4.1 and cleaned data was exported to SPSS Version 25 for analysis. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the data.

RESULT

From the total of 102 critically ill patients who need ICU admission 84.3% of them had prolonged lengths of ED stay. The median length of ED stay was 13.5 h with an IQR of 7-25.5 h. The most common reasons for delayed ICU admission were shortage of ICU beds 56 (65.1%) and delays in radiological examination results 13(15.1%). On multivariate logistic regression p < 0.05 male gender (AOR = 0.175, 95% CI: (0.044, 0.693)) and shortage of ICU bed (AOR = 0.022, 95% CI: (0.002, 0.201)) were found to have a significant association with delayed intensive care unit admission.

CONCLUSION

there was a delay in ICU admission of critically ill patients from the ED. Shortage of ICU bed and delay in radiological investigation results were the reasons for the prolonged ED stay.