Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice of Stroke Prevention and Pre-Hospital Management Among Community Nurses and Other Health Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study.
TL;DR
Although overall knowledge was demonstrated in awareness of common stroke signs, symptoms and risk factors, community nurses exhibited significant knowledge gaps compared to other healthcare professionals in critical aspects of stroke prevention and pre-hospital management.
Abstract
Aim
To explore the knowledge, attitudes and practices of community nurses and other health professionals (e.g., physicians, pharmacists) regarding stroke prevention and pre-hospital management.
Methods
From May to July 2023, a cross-sectional online survey was undertaken with community nurses and other health professionals in a city located in central China. The questionnaire included demographic information and knowledge, attitudes and practices assessments. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression models for each item score of knowledge, attitudes and practices questionnaire with adjustment for potential confounders.
Results
Overall 233/250 health professionals (93.2%) participated (58% community nurses; 87% female). Compared with other health professionals, community nurses were more likely to be female (99% vs. 69%) and younger (mean age: 33 years vs. 39 years). Compared with other health professionals, community nurses were less likely to have knowledge of mnemonics of the 'stroke risk score card' (OR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.24-0.92), the pathophysiological relationships with common complications (OR = 0.43; 95% CI: 0.23-0.80), the ability to use stroke risk predictive tools (OR = 0.53; 95% CI: 0.31-0.93) and the practice of using stroke risk predictive tools (OR = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.31-0.96).
Conclusion
Although overall knowledge was demonstrated in awareness of common stroke signs, symptoms and risk factors, community nurses exhibited significant knowledge gaps compared to other healthcare professionals in critical aspects of stroke prevention and pre-hospital management. Targeted evidence-based training is urgently required to improve their stroke prevention and pre-hospital management capabilities. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Targeted training in stroke pathophysiology, risk management tools and symptom recognition protocols is critical for equipping community nurses to address knowledge-practice gaps in stroke prevention. REPORTING
Method
This study was reported based on the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) for cross-sectional studies. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION Health professionals were recruited to perform the knowledge, attitudes and practices of stroke prevention and pre-hospital management survey in the phase of data collection.