2025 American Academy of Neurology Abstract Website

Nagapranati Nanduri¹, Diwell Mwansa², Melody Asukile³, Meron Gebrewold⁴, Sarah Braun⁵, Bwalya Mulenga³, Phoebe Chen⁶, Lorraine Chishimba³, Mashina Chomba⁷, Michael Kinkata³, Musisye Luchembe³, Viyani Masanzi³, Taonga Msimuko³, Emmanuel Mukambo³, Julia Mwamba⁸, Coolwe Namangala³, David Nasorro³, Madalitso Nthere³, Alexandra Peloso³, Malya Sahu⁹, Theresa Shankanga¹⁰, Matthew Smyth³, Gabriel Sneh¹¹, William Tembo³, Leslie Wekwete³, Leroy Yankae³, Stanley Zimba³, Deanna Saylor¹²
¹Drexel University College of Medicine, ²UNZA Ridgeway campus, ³University Teaching Hospital, ⁴Addis Ababa University, ⁵University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia, ⁶Yale School of Medicine, ⁷University of Zambia, ⁸University Teaching Hopsital, ⁹University of Pennsylvania, ¹⁰University of Zambia, ridgeway campus, ¹¹Johns Hopkins, ¹²Johns Hopkins Hospital

Objective:

Assess effectiveness of a new stroke education program and explore preferred methods of information dissemination amongst adults with stroke and/or their caregivers in Zambia.

Background:

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and top cause of adult-onset disability in Zambia, indicating the urgency for stroke education to improve recognition, pursuit of timely care, and secondary prevention. We instituted a novel stroke education program in Zambia’s first stroke unit in the capital of Lusaka.

Design/Methods:

Adults with stroke were enrolled into this prospective cohort study at the time of hospitalization. During their hospitalization, they received content of a new stroke education program through individual sessions with a healthcare worker, hard copy handouts, and WhatsApp videos. Participants and/or their caregivers completed a stroke knowledge assessment at admission and at discharge, and responses were compared. Participants were also asked their preferred method of receiving this education, and these results are reported thematically.

Results:

Of 255 participants, majority were caregivers (93%) and female (78%) with an average age of 4511+years. Participants showed a statistically significant improvement in correctly identifying 47 of 58 stroke statements at discharge, including risks of smoking (83% vs. 26%, p<0.001), turning to prevent bedsores (93% vs. 40%, p<0.001) and depression presentation (71% vs. 40%, p<0.001). 92% received a health worker-led education session, and 64% independently reviewed bedside materials. While 41% received video links, only 45% had enough data to download the videos and most watched <2 of 6 videos. Most responders preferred bedside teaching with healthcare workers and printed handouts over videos.

Conclusions:

Stroke education materials readily available at the bedside for self-study and teaching are effective in improving stroke knowledge in Zambia. Further efforts are needed to increase the accessibility and dissemination of videos as a learning tool and evaluate the generalizability of this stroke education program in other settings.