Measuring second year emergency and first aid students' knowledge in recognizing stroke patients and their skills in assessing potential stroke patients at the scene

Objective: It is critically important to immediately refer patients showing stroke symptoms to specialized stroke centers. However, some patients are not recognized at the scene and are brought to other institutions, while some others brought to stroke centers are diagnosed with other conditions. This can delay treatment and burden stroke teams. Emergency healthcare personnel play the biggest role in making a pre-hospital stroke suspicion decision therefore, it is important for these professional groups to recognize real stroke symptoms. This study aimed to measure the skill levels of students in the First and Emergency Aid Program regarding stroke and identify gaps in their knowledge. It is hoped that the findings will eventually contribute to the student competency by improving the training provided by the department. Method: The study was conducted in April 2024 with the participation of second-year students from the First and Emergency Aid Program within the Department of Emergency Medicine. Participants' demographic information was recorded, and they were asked 18 multiple-choice questions about stroke. Subsequently, an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) was conducted based on a scenario we created, and participants were asked to answer the multiple-choice questions again. Findings: A total of 53 students participated in the study. The average score of the participants on the pre-clinical exam test was 77,92±9,88, the average score on the clinical exam was 65,51±15,84, and the average score on the post-test was 78,87±9,74. There was a statistically significant increase in participants' self-confidence after the clinical exam. 92.5% of the participants indicated a need for additional training on stroke, and the rate of those who felt the need for additional education decreased to 67.9 % in the posttest. Conclusion: Participants were found to have sufficient knowledge about stroke. However, most participants felt the need for additional training. We believe that providing additional training to students, conducting exams in the form of clinical exams, and organizing training programs post-graduation would be beneficial. Keywords: Stroke, Objective structured clinical examination, Emergency medical services, OSCE, First and Emergency Aid Program, Paramedic.