Reducing Prehospital Stroke Delays: The Impact of Stroke Education on Suburban High School Students

Abstract

This study aimed to reduce prehospital stroke treatment delays by raising awareness of strokes, symptoms, and hospital designations in suburban high-school students. Limited access to stroke centers in rural and suburban communities significantly contributes to treatment delays, with lack of symptom awareness, treatment urgency, and hospital designations being a factor in reducing delays. A convenience sample of 25 high school students (ages 16-18) from Amherst, Ohio participated in an educational intervention about strokes, stroke types, symptoms, risk factors, treatment, and local stroke centers. Pre- and post- tests measured knowledge of stroke and facility awareness, asking the participants to rate their understanding of stroke and symptoms on a 1-5 scale. Additionally, students were asked about their local hospital and their knowledge of its designation as a stroke center. Results showed statistically significant improvement in stroke understanding, stroke symptom recognition, and hospital designation. The understanding of strokes increased, with mean scores rising from 3.36 to 4.87 (p<0.05). The participants’ confidence in stroke symptom identification increased, with mean scores rising from 3.64 to 4.92 (p<0.05). Additionally, there was a 100% decrease in students answering ‘I don’t know’ when asked to identify stroke facilities. Findings suggest that stroke education can effectively improve stroke symptom recognition in youth, emphasizing the potential of early stroke education as a strategy for reducing prehospital delays in stroke treatment. Future research could explore age-diverse populations and broader geographic regions to further assess the impact of stroke education on prehospital response times.