The Relationship Between Acute Stroke Management and the Knowledge of Evidence-based Care and Attitudes Toward Stroke Care Among Emergency Nurses and Emergency Medical Services Personnel in Ardabil City in 2021

Objective: Stroke is a major cause of disability worldwide. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the aspects of knowledge, attitudes, and management among emergency nurses to provide quality care for patients with acute stroke.
Materials and Methods: This correlational research was conducted on 285 hospital emergency department nurses and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in Ardabil city in 2021. The data collection tools included demographic information questionnaires, warning signs, nurses’ knowledge of evidence-based care, attitudes toward stroke care, and acute stroke management. The data were analyzed using the SPSS-26 software using descriptive statistics and the t-test, F-test, linear regression analysis, and the one-way analysis of variance test. The significance level was set at P < 0.05.
Results: The knowledge of evidence-based care and acute stroke management was more favorable in hospital emergency nurses than in EMS personnel (P < 0.05). The results of the multivariate regression model showed that knowledge of stroke warning signs and the attitude toward stroke care were stronger predictors in acute stroke management. Knowledge of evidence-based care, attitudes toward stroke care, age, work experience, and participation in stroke retraining courses were significantly correlated with the nurses’ care management of patients with acute stroke.
Conclusion: Since acute stroke management can be predicted by the knowledge of evidence-based care, attitudes toward stroke care, age, and experience of working with patients with stroke, the evaluation of these characteristics in emergency nurses and EMS personnel who provide care to these patients can affect their management methods. Therefore, the aforementioned variables can be used to evaluate and empower nurses in acute stroke management and improve patient care programs.