[Learning capacity of acute stroke patients. A pilot study]

Acute stroke patients find themselves in a new and totally altered health situation. Several factors add to its complexity. In order to master the health situation as independently as possible, patients must possess the appropriate knowledge. In turn, they must be able to learn. The aim of this study was to answer the question, to which extent will acute stroke patients be able to attain and recall health related and rehabilitation related information. The hypotheses were, that acute stroke patients do possess the ability but that their performance differs, depending on the localization of the lesion and from the performance of non-stroke patients.

A convenience sample resulted in 12 participants with hemispheric infarct, eight participants with lacunar infarct and nine participants in a comparison group. By means of structured interview the level of knowledge of all participants was asked, followed by structured teaching and the same structured interview. Five days later the structured interview was carried out again.

The results show that acute stroke patients are able to attain and recall the information offered. Different performance related to the region of lesion and to non-stroke patients could not be proved.

The ability of acute stroke patients as demonstrated here represents a resource for their rehabilitation during the acute phase. The method and content of structured teaching prevents occasional and inconsistent knowledge transfer. The specific information needs of these patients may not be left disregarded. The information needs of significant others must be taken into account as well. Further research is needed, to lighten up the learning behavior of acute stroke patients and to prove the effect of structured teaching for this group of patients.