Significant Stroke Knowledge Deficiencies in Community Physician Improved with Stroke 120

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Public Health
• Medical Education

Background:

• Community general practitioners are vital for health promotion and prehospital stroke management in China.
• Existing stroke recognition tools needed adaptation for the Chinese context.
• Stroke 120 was developed based on the FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) principle for improved stroke recognition in China.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the acceptance of the Stroke 120 tool among Chinese community physicians.
• To evaluate the impact of an educational session on physicians' stroke-related knowledge.
• To promote effective prehospital stroke recognition and management strategies.

Main Methods:

• An educational session on FAST and Stroke 120 was delivered to 435 community physicians.
• Online surveys were administered pre- and post-session to gauge stroke awareness and tool acceptance.
• Data analysis focused on changes in knowledge regarding thrombolytic therapy and emergency medical service utilization.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in physicians' understanding of the thrombolytic therapeutic window (54.0% to 91.6%).
• Emergency medical service utilization for stroke patients increased from 64.4% to 88.5% post-education.
• Physician recommendation for thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke rose from 82.7% to 95.2%.

Conclusions:

• The Stroke 120 strategy demonstrated strong acceptance among Chinese community physicians.
• The educational intervention effectively enhanced physicians' knowledge of stroke recognition and management.
• Stroke 120 is considered highly suitable for stroke education in the Chinese population.