Objective:

Measure the influence of a monthly stroke support group (SSG) within a neurologically-underserved community in Texas. 

Background:

Community SSGs have demonstrated utility in informing stroke survivors and their caregivers about key stroke concepts. We assessed acute stroke clinical metrics before and during implementation of an SSG. Stroke support group topics included symptoms, recovery, risk-factors, physical therapy, nutrition, wellness, post-stroke symptoms, and pathophysiology.  

Design/Methods:

We compared the incidence of matched Emergency Medical Service dispatch diagnoses to first responder diagnoses before (6/2021-5/2022) and during two years of SSG implementation (6/2022 -05/2024), as a proxy for patient/caregiver precision of stroke symptom recognition. Among the same time periods, we also compared aggregate acute stroke patient NIH Stroke Scales to assess recognition of subtle stroke symptoms and monthly last-known-well to emergency room arrival times to assess how quickly emergency medical systems were being activated, at a local community hospital.  

Results:

On average, 30 stroke survivors and their caregivers participated monthly in the SSG over 2 years. The median number of stroke emergency dispatch calls monthly pre- versus post-SSG implementation did not change over time (18 vs. 14.5, p=0.21). Simultaneously, when comparing dispatch and paramedic patient diagnoses, the median percentage of matching stroke diagnoses did not significantly change (59.4% vs 53.8%, p=0.79). Additionally, the median NIH Stroke Scales and monthly median times from last-known-well to emergency room arrival did not significantly differ between the pre-post periods of SSG implementation (2 vs. 2, p=0.21; 53 vs. 100, p=0.40, respectively). 

Conclusions:

In our study, implementation of a SSG in a neurologically-underserved community did not lead to measurable changes in local clinical outcomes. Our findings are limited given the single-community design and by an already low NIH Stroke Scale recognized. Other measures may better help characterize the impact of SSGs in supporting stroke survivors and caregivers.