GP receptionists 'could help prevent stroke deaths'

Conclusion This valuable and well-designed study assessed a cross-section of general practices from one UK region, looking at how well receptionists are able to recognise the signs of stroke and give appropriate advice – either immediately passing patients on to the GP or telling them to contact emergency services. The study has many strengths. These include the large sample of GP surgeries and calls assessed, and that receptionists weren't aware of the nature of the study and the calls were unannounced. At the end of each individual call receptionists were told the call was part of the study and no further action was needed, but they didn't know this when giving advice. Also, the scenarios acted out were carefully selected to represent the possible symptoms of different types of stroke and were rated for their difficulty by an expert panel. Though this is only a sample of one region of the UK, the study should give a good representation of receptionist understanding and the types of responses a person may be given if they were to call a GP practice and give such symptoms. The questionnaire results are possibly less representative – although this demonstrated a good level of understanding about stroke, it was only completed by half of receptionists who took part. The half who completed the questionnaire may have a better understanding than the half who didn't. Stroke is common, and is associated with high mortality and disability, so this is undoubtedly an important is...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medical practice Neurology Source Type: news