Efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of in-home stroke education for stroke survivors

Barriers to learning after a stroke may prevent stroke survivors from acquiring helpful information regarding stroke prevention and preparedness. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of a novel in-home stroke education program for survivors in the acute phase following a stroke. Study participants completed four in-home education sessions about stroke prevention and preparedness following their discharge home from inpatient rehabilitation. Sessions were designed to be completed within an 8-week period. Sessions were presented with evidence-based teaching methods and could be tailored to individual needs. Participants completed short quizzes before and after each education session to measure knowledge attainment. Forty-nine participants were included in this study. On average, the program was completed in 10 weeks, or 69.5 days (SD 29.6), and visits lasted 66.26 minutes; 81.5% of participants completed Visit 1, 77.5% completed Visit 2, and 73.5% completed Visits 3 and 4. Statistically significant changes from pretest-to-posttest scores were found for all races and genders and for ages 50-79. There was no significant change in pretest-to-posttest scores for participants over age 80 (n = 3). Results show that delivering a stroke education program can be accomplished, on an expanded timeline. The program was effective in increasing stroke knowledge for participants recently discharged from inpatient rehabilitation following a stroke.