Hospital Operators Fail to Recognize Stroke, Misdirect Callers: New Study
Almost 25% of hospital phone operators mistakenly directed people to call their primary care physician rather than 911 when callers reported classic stroke symptoms over the phone, according to a new study published in Stroke, the journal of the American Heart Association. As the study was conducted only in hospitals that offer neurology residencies, these operators may actually have performed better than most when it comes to recognizing and handling stroke patients. The survey also found that 24% of the operators couldn't name a single stroke symptom.
Stroke is a particularly time-sensitive emergency involving the obstruction of blood to the brain, and irreversible damage is done every minute prior to medical intervention. The most common form of stroke is caused by a blood clot. Clot-dissolving drugs are often administered to eliminate these obstructions, but the window of opportunity in which these drugs are effective at preventing brain damage is limited.
Experts at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke caution that because a stroke diminishes your brain function, you may not realize you're having one. Stroke sufferers depend on bystanders to recognize their symptoms and act quickly to get medical help. The organization lists the following as common symptoms of a stoke -- while they may seem like subtle symptoms, you may recognize them as a stoke by their sudden onset:
- "Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg (especially on one side of the body)
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause"
- Heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrest warning signs
- The questionable use of stents to prevent strokes
- Six health symptoms that may require immediate attention