Stroke Education in an Emergency Department Waiting Room: a Comparison of Methods

Background: Since the emergency department (ED) waiting room hosts a large, captive audience of patients and visitors, it may be an ideal location for conduct-ing focused stroke education. The aim of this study was to assess the effective-ness of various stroke education methods.Methods: Patients and visitors of an urban ED waiting room were randomized into one of the following groups: video, brochure, one-to-one teaching, combi-nation of these three methods, or control group. We administered a 13-question multiple-choice test to assess stroke knowledge prior to, immediately after, and at 1 month post-education to patients and visitors in the ED waiting room.Results: Of 4 groups receiving education, all significantly improved their test scores immediately post intervention (test scores 9.4±2.5-10.3±2.0, P<0.01). At 1 month, the combination group retained the most knowledge (9.4±2.4) exceed-ing pre-intervention and control scores (both 6.7±2.6, P<0.01).Conclusion: Among the various stroke education methods delivered in the ED waiting room, the combination method resulted in the highest knowledge reten-tion at 1-month post intervention.