Increasing awareness of Stroke : The FAST/CePat Project

Previous research has shown that 3 out of 4 stroke patients do not access stroke treatment within 3 hours. This means that they are not receiving treatment as per recommendations. We set out to improve public and patients awareness of stroke, educate on the symptoms and signs of stroke and the importance of accessing medical care within the recommended period. The method of delivery that we chose to test was posters in the clinic waiting room using the FAST message that has been translated to CePat (Cakap yang tidak jelas, Perubahan muka, Anggota lemah, Terus ke Hospital). Participants were recruited at registration. Once informed consent was obtained, they were asked to fill in a short questionnaire. A second questionnaire was filled in after they had seen the doctor and were about to leave. The first week of data collection (19-23 March 2018) was for the control group. During the second week (26-30 March 2018), the method was similar except that posters were put up in the clinic waiting room with the CePAT message. We will analyse the data to see if there is any difference in the answers between the control group and the intervention group.

We collaborated with clinic staff in order to ensure that the project went well. We also had a patient advocate who went through the forms to ensure that it was easily read and relevant to the topic. The research team communicated with all members of the public who approached the research booth which was set out near the registration counter during the data collection period, even those who were not recruited into the project. After the participants had finished filling in the 2nd form (finished with data collection), the enumerators briefed the participants on the correct answers. The findings will be shared with the clinic and the community. The posters will also be used in future public engagement projects.

We had two meeting with clinic staff (Dr Mimi, Dr Nagammai and the medical officer in charge) prior to the start of the project. This was done to ensure that the clinic and research team had a shared understanding of the project and research process. We also engaged with the clinic patients as described above. There was also a patient advocate who went through the documents prior to the start of the project.

Engagement was carried out by face-to-face contact. Enumerators were trained to be approachable even to the public who were not recruited as participants. We had a large booth with a sign that stated ‘KAJIAN STROK’ placed prominently near registration. Many clinic patients and their companions approached the research booth to learn more.

Project information

Project Execution: 9 months
Location: Klinik Kesihatan Kuala Lumpur
Numbers of Community benifited: 1013 people