Systematic review of public education and policy for stroke prevention

Stroke is a leading cause of disability and death around the world.

We conducted a systematic review of peer reviewed articles published since 1999 on the topics of public education and policy for stroke prevention. A research librarian conducted the search using Pubmed and the International Pharmacy Abstracts (IPA). We reviewed the abstracts from the search results to determine if they met the inclusion criteria. Then we abstracted the relevant data from the articles using an evaluation criteria and data abstraction instrument.

The searches of Pubmed and the IPA returned 446 articles, of which 36 were included in the review. Thirty-two were educational programs and four were policies. Twenty-two of the programs were directed at patients, four at providers, and seven at both. Seven of the educational programs were judged successful using the evaluation criteria. They included two large scale programs and five narrowly targeted programs. The policies included two articles presenting guidelines for treatment for stroke prevention in specific patient populations and two articles presenting recommendations for changes in systems of care for stroke prevention and treatment.

Future efforts to evaluate these programs will require global efforts with a special emphasis on testing and validating with international patient populations. Barriers remain for translating stroke prevention policies into clinical practice. "This material is based upon work supported by the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, the Office of Research and Development, Rehabilitation R&D Service, and Health Services R&D Service, Department of Veteran Affairs."