Knowledge of Stroke, Its Warning Symptoms, Risk Factors and Treatment among the General Public and General Practitioners in a South Asian Population.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Saunders Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 9111633 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1532-8511 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10523057 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: Philadelphia, PA : Saunders
      Original Publication: New York, NY : Demos Publications, [1991-
    • Subject Terms:
      Health Literacy* ; Public Opinion*; Asian People/*psychology ; Attitude of Health Personnel/*ethnology ; General Practitioners/*psychology ; Health Behavior/*ethnology ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice/*ethnology ; Stroke/*ethnology; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Clinical Competence ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education, Medical, Continuing ; Educational Status ; Female ; General Practitioners/education ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Recognition, Psychology ; Risk Factors ; Sri Lanka/epidemiology ; Stroke/diagnosis ; Stroke/physiopathology ; Stroke/therapy ; Young Adult
    • Abstract:
      Background: An adequate stroke literacy among the general public and first-contact physicians is an essential prerequisite to ensure timely treatment and prevention of stroke. Knowledge on stroke pathophysiology, warning symptoms, risk factors and treatment, and its determinants was assessed among general public and general practitioners (GPs) in a South Asian population.
      Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among relatives of nonstroke patients admitted to the apex tertiary-care hospital in Sri Lanka. Trained doctors administered pretested, structured, open- and close-ended questionnaires. A postal survey using self-administered questionnaires was conducted among all registered GPs in Sri Lanka.
      Results: The sample of general public (51.7% males; mean age = 40.7 years) from 21 of 25 districts of Sri Lanka was 840 (response-rate = 97.4%) while the sample of GPs (77.6% males; mean age = 59.63 years) was 98 (response-rate = 30%). Of the general public, 83.2% were aware of a vascular aetiology of stroke, but only 46.8% were aware that the affected organ was the brain while 67.5% believed that either the heart or limb muscles die as sequalae of stroke. Over 50% correctly identified stroke warning symptoms while 84.7% would seek immediate Western medical treatment. Approximately, 32%-46% were not aware of the major stroke risk factors. Lower education (adj. OR = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.3-2.3), absence of stroke risk factors (2.6; 1.9-3.7) and nonutility of information sources (1.5; 1.0-2.0) determined poor knowledge on risk factors. Only about 1 in 8 GPs accurately defined stroke and TIA while only 43.9% correctly classified stroke subtypes. Only 1 in 10 GPs were aware of the recommended therapeutic window for thrombolysis. Older age (P = 0.01) and longer service (P = 0.04) of GPs were associated with not requesting brain imaging in stroke.
      Conclusions: Strategies to educate both the public and first-contact physicians to improve stroke literacy need to be an integral part of programmes that aim to reduce the burden of stroke in any population.
      (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: South-Asia; Sri Lanka; Stroke; awareness; knowledge
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20200317 Date Completed: 20200914 Latest Revision: 20221207
    • Publication Date:
      20240105
    • Accession Number:
      10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2020.104760
    • Accession Number:
      32173224