Acute Stroke Program of Interventions Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities

There are a number of well-known barriers to receiving tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) including transit time to hospital, paramedic and provider training, tPA standing orders, and provider guidelines. Among underserved populations, limited stroke knowledge, socioculturally determined attitudes, and beliefs and myths held by community members may serve as additional barriers that hinder these populations from receiving tPA and acute stroke care. Targeted multilevel interventions designed to overcome specific barriers may significantly increase the number of individuals with stroke who are appropriately treated with intravenous tPA (IV tPA) in underserved communities. Identification of the specific components of healthcare interventions that are the most effective is critical to improve delivery of acute stroke therapy.

The goal of this study is to learn more about public knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and perceptions regarding stroke and stroke treatment in order to identify sociocultural and environmental barriers to receiving tPA and acute stroke care in an underserved community. This study will also determine if implementation of a multilevel intervention program can significantly increase the number of people with ischemic stroke who are appropriately treated with IV tPA in a predominantly underserved community.

In the study, researchers will evaluate the different levels of the intervention to determine which efforts are most effective.