Education in stroke prevention: efficacy of an educational counselling intervention to increase knowledge in stroke survivors.
BACKGROUND
Motivational interviewing and stages of change are approaches to increasing knowledge and effecting behavioural change. This study examined the application of this approach on stroke knowledge acquisition and changing individual lifestyle risk factors in an outpatient clinic.


METHODS
RCT in which 200 participants were allocated to an education-counselling interview (ECI) or a control group. ECI group participants mapped their individual risk factors on a stage of change model and received an appointment to the next group lifestyle class. Participants completed a stroke knowledge questionnaire at baseline (T1), post-appointment, and three months (T3) post-appointment. Passive to active changes in lifestyle behaviour were self-reported at three months.


RESULTS
There was a statistically significant difference between groups from T1 toT3 in stroke knowledge (p < 0.001). While there was a significant shift from a passive to active stage of change for the overall study sample (p < 0.000), there was no significant difference between groups on the identified risk factors.


CONCLUSIONS
Although contact with patients in ambulatory clinical settings is limited due to time constraints, it is still possible to improve knowledge and initiate lifestyle changes utilizing motivational interviewing and a stage of change model. Stroke nurses may wish to consider these techniques in their practice setting.
Green
Theresa
T
Stroke Program, Foothills Medical Centre, Calgary Health Region, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Alberta. greentl@ucalgary.ca
Haley
Eryka
E
Eliasziw
Michael
M
Hoyte
Keith
K
D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003376:Counseling / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009720:Nurse Clinicians / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D020521:Stroke / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology