Primary Stroke Education Using the ASCVD Risk Calculator and the Stroke Knowledge Test in Primary Care

Abstract

The incidence of stroke is expected to rise with the aging population, and the healthcare cost is predicted to triple by 2030. Stroke, as the leading cause of disability, warrants a stroke prevention education program in a primary care setting to provide quality healthcare. The purpose of the quality improvement project is to increase awareness of stroke risk factors and symptoms within a primary care setting. The increased awareness will contribute to preventing devastating stroke outcomes. A quality improvement project with a quasi-experimental, single group, pre, and posttest design, implemented a stroke prevention education at a small Midwest family practice clinic. The participants received stroke prevention education using educational materials from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease risk calculator estimated the ten-year risk of having a cardiovascular event. The Stroke Knowledge Test assessed the effectiveness of the educational intervention on stroke knowledge. Implementation of the intervention was conducted from September 2019 to February 2020. Of the 25 participants, 68% were female, 88.5% were Caucasian, and 68% completed high school. Stroke knowledge statistically increased from pre to posttest (p <0.001). The educational intervention was successful at increasing stroke knowledge. The impact on healthcare is to increase primary prevention strategies for stroke in a family practice. Further intention is to decrease the incidence and disability from stroke.