Evaluation of a hypertension-based patient education program in a stroke center.

Background The benefits of educational programs are recognized in chronic diseases. An education program was designed in our hospital, for hypertensive patients after an acute episode of stroke to prevent stroke recurrence. Objective Evaluate the effects of such program on patient knowledge and blood pressure management. Setting The 12-bed stroke center of the Groupe Hospitalier Paris Saint-Joseph, France. Method An individual educational session was provided to all the patients by the pharmacist a few days after admission. The effectiveness of the session was evaluated using a questionnaire completed by each patient before and after education. The patients had to identify the correct responses and to judge their answer's self-confidence. The answers were ranked based on their accuracy and the surety of the respondent. Reported medication adherence and self-measurement of blood pressure were analyzed as part of the survey. Patient satisfaction with the intervention was also measured by means of a separate questionnaire. Main outcome measure Evolution of response correctness and self-confidence as well as medication adherence and blood pressure self-measurement practice. Results 64 patients were enrolled. Correct response rate increased from 77.9 to 94.1% and the absolutely sure response rate raised from 52.9 to 80.8%. Patient self-confidence was improved mainly for correct responses. Patients reported a better medication adherence and a more frequent practice of blood pressure self-measurement. They were highly satisfied. A negative correlation was found between knowledge evolution and baseline knowledge. Conclusion Education can improve stroke patient knowledge, which may enhance medication adherence and blood pressure control. Such programs should be developed even early after a stroke.