Effects of an online stroke education program on enhancing knowledge, awareness of stroke warning signs, and emergency medical services seeking among high-risk residents in Huanggang City, China.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is the leading cause of disability and death in china. Raising public awareness of warning signs is critical for improving access to emergency services and treatment outcomes. Prehospital delay remains a significant challenge, especially among high-risk populations. This study therefore aims to determine the effects of an online stroke education program (osp) on the knowledge, awareness of stroke warning signs, and seeking of emergency medical services (ems) among high-risk residents.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted from September 2024 to April 2025. One hundred and six high-risk residents were randomly allocated to intervention and control groups (n = 53 each). The intervention group received the 6-week OSP program, while the control group received regular health education. Data were collected via an interview questionnaire and analyzed using the Chi-squared test, McNemar's test, and multivariate regression.

RESULTS: Postintervention, the experimental group exhibited significantly higher enhancement of stroke-related knowledge, awareness of warning signs, and EMS-seeking behavior compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The intervention effects were robust, showing significant improvements in awareness (adjusted OR = 3.78, 95% CI: 1.41-8.13), knowledge (adjusted OR = 3.68, 95% CI: 1.52-8.94), and EMS seeking (adjusted OR = 3.33, 95% CI: 1.44-7.69).

CONCLUSION: The OSP significantly improved stroke recognition and EMS-seeking intentions. This scalable model supports stroke care management by integrating digital education into primary care, effectively reducing prehospital delays. Such integration is crucial for improving clinical outcomes in acute stroke management and achieving public health targets.