Abstract WP54: Design and Preliminary Results on an Educational Intervention to Foster Stroke Coordinator Engagement, Knowledge, and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Background: Stroke Coordinators (SC) are instrumental in overseeing the development, evaluation, and sustainability of processes that drive the Stroke Care System. However, there are many practice barriers that impact the SC role including time management, mentorship, education, and training. The aim of this study s to train SC throughout Alabama’s six EMS regions and evaluate whether training in certification in Stroke Nursing increases overall job satisfaction. Methods: This part of StrokeSTAT, a larger observational trial designed to evaluate the implementation of severity-based stroke triage across Alabama’s six EMS regions. Key elements of the intervention include partnerships with the Alabama Department of Public Health and the State’s professional multi-disciplinary association of health care professionals involved in the care of stroke patients (Alabama Stroke Alliance of Professionals, ASAP), bringing stroke symposia to each EMS region; providing SCs with a Stroke Certified Registered Nurse (SCRN) review course to encourage and inspire nurses caring for patients with acute stroke to sit for the exam; and reimbursement for successful certification. Results: At present, two regional courses have been offered with 27 Registered Nurses in attendance from 33 Stroke Centers. Evaluations (n=20) indicated that before the course, SCs were “slightly comfortable” (5%), “somewhat comfortable” (20%), “for the most part comfortable” (75%) with exam content. In the post-course evaluation, 100% of attendees responded, “the information in this activity will help me do my job.” Conclusions: Stroke care continues to rapidly evolve, and SC are often untrained for the role. The partnership with key stakeholder organizations, bringing the symposia to each region, and focusing on improving knowledge and preparation to sit for the SCRN exam were highly effective in engaging the Alabama SCs in the two EMS regions thus far. The symposia provided specialized knowledge for the practice of Stroke Nursing, and uniformly increased participant’s perception of their ability to perform their duties. Evaluation of impact of the different elements of this complex health intervention on stroke coordinator perception is ongoing.