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THURSDAY, July 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The Face, Arm, Speech, Time (FAST) public education campaign in the United Kingdom has not improved the response to transient ischemic attack (TIA) and minor stroke, according to a study published online July 2 in JAMA Neurology<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Frank J. Wolters, M.D., from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a prospective population-based study of all patients with TIA or stroke who sought medical attention between April 1, 2002, and March 31, 2014, registered at nine general practices.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that of 2,243 patients with first TIA or stroke, 73.8 percent had a minor stroke or TIA. After the FAST campaign, patients with major stroke more often sought medical attention within three hours (odds ratio, 2.56; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.11 to 5.9). There was no improvement in use of emergency medical services (odds ratio, 0.79; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.5 to 1.23) or in time to first seeking medical attention within 24 hours (odds ratio, 0.75; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.48 to 1.19) for TIA or minor stroke. There was a correlation for patient perception of symptoms after TIA and minor stroke with more urgent behaviors; however, after the FAST campaign, correct perception declined from 37.3 to 27.6 percent (odds ratio, 0.64; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.51 to 0.8).<\/p>\n
“This study suggests that in contrast to major stroke, extensive FAST-based public education has not improved the response to TIA and minor stroke in the United Kingdom,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
One author disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n