Educating North America: lessons learned.
Delayed patient presentation to the emergency department plays a major role in the underuse of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) for acute ischemic stroke, and multiple studies have been performed to examine factors that contribute to patient delay. Although many have hypothesized that educational interventions could increase the number of patients presenting in time to receive acute stroke therapy, only a handful of studies have examined the impact of such intervention on patient behavior. This article proposes that behavioral interventions for acute stroke can and should be designed and evaluated scientifically.
Hickenbottom
Susan L
SL
Stroke Program, Department of Neurology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. shickenb@umich.edu
Morgenstern
Lewis B
LB