Nurses knowledge, awareness and confidence level to recognize stroke symptoms specific to women: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Stroke remains the third-leading cause of death and a major cause of disability in women. Men and women share common stroke symptoms. However, women can also experience “specific,” or “atypical” stroke symptoms. Early recognition of stroke and recognizing sex race-ethnic differences in stroke symptoms is crucial to better outcomes. Nurses play a crucial role in identifying stroke symptoms and activating care early. However, the general nurse’s knowledge and confidence level to recognize stroke in women is unknown. This study aimed to provide insight into nurse’s awareness, knowledge and confidence to recognize women's specific stroke symptoms.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over four months. 129 nurses were recruited via targeted social media platforms to complete an online survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and one-way ANOVA.

Results: Nurses were 86% women, and 55% held advanced degrees. Over 80% identified the common stroke symptoms; over 70% identified the additional stroke symptoms. Less than 25% could identify specific stroke symptoms in women. A majority of the nurses (76%) lacked the confidence to recognize stroke symptoms in women, with confidence scores statistically lower in advanced level trained nurses.

Conclusions: The majority of nurses know and feel confident that they could identify the most common and additional stroke symptoms. However, there are knowledge deficits, and nurses lack confidence in recognizing stroke symptoms in women. Education targeted at nurses should include strategies to enhance their awareness, knowledge and confidence level in recognizing stroke symptoms specific to women.