title: Development of an educational program for staffs of emergency medical service to improve their awareness of stroke within 3 hours of symptom onset: a pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Timely identification and transport are crucial for the pre-hospital management of stroke by emergency medical service (EMS) providers. In this preliminary study, our aim was to develop an educational program which can improve 1) stroke knowledge and 2) triage accuracy of identifying acute stroke within 3 hours of symptom onset by dedicated EMS providers in Tainan city.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 33 providers received a written test before, immediately after, and 3 months after completing the educational program, which was about stroke knowledge, diagnosis, and management. The test (total score, 39) contained three sections: two on stroke knowledge (consisting of true-false and choice questions) and one on clinical scenarios (situational descriptions and videos).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean total score improved significantly immediately after the program. An increase in mean score was also noted for all three sections. The increase in total score lasted 3 months. The linear regression model showed greater improvement on scores correlated with lower pretest total score only, not correlated with age, gender, work year and the learning or working experience.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The educational program increased knowledge about stroke and improved the accuracy of triage by dedicated EMS providers. Further investigation is needed to determine the effectiveness of similar educational programs for non-dedicated EMS responders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Tainan Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Han-Chieh
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Cheng-Yang
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Chih-Hao
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Pi-Shan
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Chung-Yi
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chih-Hsien
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: Chih-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012044:Regression Analysis; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult