Recognition of Stroke Symptoms by Stroke Survivorsn

Background: Stroke remains a leading cause of death and disability, and patient outcomes are dependent on early access to emergency treatment. However, despite public education campaigns, many patients and carers fail to recognize the symptoms of stroke and often delay accessing medical services
Aim: This paper reports first-time stroke patients’ description of their symptoms and the sequence of events which lead them to seeking medical treatment.
Methods: Secondary data analysis was conducted on transcripts (n=10) exploring patient perceptions of their stroke experience.
Results: Seven of the ten participants failed to recognize their symptoms as those associated with stroke. Limb weakness was the symptom most easily recognized by the participants as that of a stroke. Only three of the ten participants immediately recognized that their symptoms were that of a stroke. When symptoms were recognized either by the patient or a family member, participants accessed medical treatment promptly.
Conclusions: The study found that the majority of participants could not identify stroke warning signs. Furthermore, the participants descriptions of the event is conveyed in a language different to that used in various awareness campaigns. Further research is needed to explore the language used in stroke awareness campaigns and the language used by patients themselves interpretating their symptoms.