Investigation of stroke awareness and knowledge levels of physiotherapy methods in individuals who apply a primary health care institution

The aim of this study was to investigate the awareness of stroke and the knowledge level of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation approaches in stroke in individuals between 18-65 years who applied to primary health care services for various reasons. The 272 individuals (107 females, 165 males) with a mean age of 38.35±14.45 years were included in the study. The sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the individuals were recorded. Physical activity level was evaluated with the International Physical Activity Scale-short form (IPAQ-short form), and health literacy was evaluated with the Adult Medical Literacy Rapid Estimation Scale (REALM). The awareness levels of individuals about stroke were questioned with a form consisting of 16 closed-ended questions created by the researchers. This form included questions about the clinical features, risk factors, and treatment methods of stroke. The physical activity levels of the individuals varied between sedentary and active levels, and their literacy levels were found to be moderate to high. The 66.5% of the individuals reported that they had knowledge about stroke and 52.2% of them reported that they had not encountered a person who had a stroke before. While it is known that stroke is a condition that occurs in the brain at a rate of 66.2%; it was answered that facial asymmetry is the most common (57.7%) symptom that occurs in a person who has had a stroke. Other stroke symptoms were answered correctly at a lower rate. The 62.5% of individuals were aware of the need to seek medical help when faced with a stroke. Among the risk factors leading to stroke, the most well-known risk factor was hypertension with a rate of 56.6%. The 63.2% of the individuals had knowledge that stroke was preventable and 74.6% was a treatable problem. Although they have an opinion about the use of medical treatment (65.8%) and Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation methods (82%) in stroke, their knowledge level about the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation methods used was not found to be high. It was determined that individuals obtained information about stroke from their relatives with a rate of 71.3%, from television/radio with a rate of 59.2%, and from health institutions with a rate of 48.9%. As a result, it was found that the individuals participating in the study had a general awareness of the clinical features of stroke, but their knowledge and awareness levels about stroke symptoms, risk factors, and treatment methods were insufficient. Our study shows that it is necessary to know stroke risk factors, recognize warning signs, and increase knowledge and awareness about treatment methods.