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Many stroke patients experience delays in seeking and receiving care

Research

A new study from Oxford University reveals that many patients are not aware that they are having a stroke when they are experiencing symptoms.

The study, published in The British Journal of Surgery, included 150 patients with a confirmed transient ischaemic attack or minor stroke who presented to a clinic in England during a five-month period in 2014. Overall 92 (61.3 per cent) of the patients delayed seeking medical help.

88 patients (58.7 per cent) did not think they were having a stroke and 54 (36.0 per cent) were unaware of a public campaign that was launched in the UK in 2009 to raise awareness of stroke symptoms and highlight the importance of urgent medical care. The campaign’s acronym FAST (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) includes the common presenting features of weakness and dysphasia.

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