Result of the Health Literacy Development Program of Stroke Alert and the Access to an Emergency Medical Service in High-Risk Patients with Hypertension and Their Relatives in Tambon Chakkarat, Chakkarat District, Nakhon Ratchasima

Abstract

The purpose of this one-group quasi-experimental research was to examine the level of perception of health literacy for stroke, such as warning symptoms and stroke fast-track accessibility; before and after the program that develop health literacy among patients-at-risk and their relatives in Tambon Chakkarat, Chakkarat District, Nakhon Ratchasima province. The health literacy conceptual framework of Professor Don Nutbeam was modified to develop the health literacy evaluation form for this study. The experimental group included patients with hypertension and their relatives. There was the total of 237 subjects purposively selected using CVD risk assessment. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistic: percentages, frequencies and standard deviations and independent t-test.

The findings showed that the level of perceptions of health literacy for stroke, such as warning symptoms and stroke fast-track accessibility among the at-risk patients and their relatives in Tambon Chakkarat, Chakkarat District, Nakhon Ratchasima province were relatively low. In addition, it was found from this study that the level of perceptions of health literacy after attending the health literacy development program were significantly higher than before attending the program at the significance level of 0.05.

It can be concluded from this study that the use of health literacy development program of stroke alert and access to emergency medical service yielded a better level of health literacy. Therefore, the program should be implemented extensively among the new and current patients with hypertension.