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Original Article 

Biosci. J., Uberlândia, v. 34, n. 3, p. 790-801, May/June 2018 

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEIVED ADEQUATE 

CONDUCT IN CASES OF ACUTE STROKE 
 

CONHECIMENTO DOS ESTUDANTES UNIVERSITÁRIOS E PERCEPÇÃO DA 
CONDUTA ADEQUADA EM CASOS ACIDENTE VASCULAR CEREBRAL 

 
Vanessa Figueiredo MONTELEONE

1
; Cassia PRAMIO

2
; Eraldo Schunk SILVA³; 

 Mauro Pedro da CUNHA
4
; Lucia Elaine Ranieri CORTEZ

5 

1. Medicine’s Academic at Cesumar University, UniCesumar, Maringá, Paraná; 2. Medicine’s Academic at Cesumar University, 
UniCesumar, Maringá, Paraná. Brasil. cassiapramio@hotmail.com; 3. Statistician and professor of the Bachelor's Degree in Statistics; 

Master's Degree in Biostatistics at the State University of Maringá, Maringá, Paraná; 4. Neurologist; counselor and professor at Cesumar 
University, UniCesumar, Maringá, Paraná; 5. Counselor and Health promotion master's degree professor Cesumar University, 

UniCesumar, Maringá, Paraná, Brasil. 
 

ABSTRACT: The ability of the general population to recognize the initial symptoms of acute stroke is  
important for the prevention of neurological damage. The objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge held by 
university students in health fields and what they perceived was adequate conduct after recognizing that someone is having 
an acute stroke. The students took a semi-structured, two-part questionnaire, with the first part referring to social and 
demographic data and the second containing a description of stroke’s typical clinical presentation and open-ended 
questions about it. Of the participants, 86.24% were able to recognize stroke. When comparing the initial and final years, 
the students in their final years had approximately a 10% increase in stroke recognition. Regarding the perceived correct 
conduct, it was observed that 84.60% of the students in the initial years would have the right conduct compared to 89.32% 
of the students in the final years. Even though a high percentage of students demonstrated some knowledge about stroke it 
is important that we aspire to further educate them about the subject, enabling them to eventually contribute to the general 
population’s education and to promote health.  
 

KEY WORDS: Conduct. Knowledge. Neurology. Stroke. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 

Stroke is the primary cause of disabilities in 
the world and it reduces the mobility of more than 
half of survivors who are 65 years of age or older 
(GO et al., 2013). The general population’s ability 
to recognize its initial symptoms is of utmost 
importance for preventing neurological sequelae. 
Approximately 87% of strokes are ischemic, a type 
of stroke where the blood flow to the brain is 
blocked (GO et al., 2013).  

Treatment with recombinant tissue 
plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is proven to be 
capable of reducing sequelae. However, the delayed 
recognition of stroke symptoms and delayed arrival 
at treatment centers are obstacles for the use of this 
therapy due to the therapeutic window of only 4.5 
hours.  Growing evidence indicates intravenous rt-
PA administered within the first 4.5 hours of the 
onset of symptoms as the standard of care treatment 
(HACKE et al., 1995; HACKE et al., 1998; 
WAHLGREN et al., 2007) and a variety of studies 
have shown that the efficacy of reperfusion is time 
dependent (SAVER, 2006). As a general marker, the 
interval of 60 minutes or less between onset of 
symptoms and treatment is associated with lower 

mortality rates and lower rates of symptomatic 
intracranial hemorrhage (FONAROW et al., 2011).  

There is an important delay in the 
recognition of typical signs and symptoms of stroke 
by the general population as well as inadequate 
initial conduct. Studies show that 50% of patients 
arrive within 3 hours and 25% of patients arrive 
within 3 to 6 hours of the onset of symptoms. The 
American Heart Association (AHA) in conjunction 
with American Stroke Association (ASA) created 
the F.A.S.T. mnemonic (Face Drooping; Arm 
Weakness; Speech Difficulty; Time to call 9-1-1) to 
help educate and give the general public the ability 
to recognize stroke, therefore enabling quick access 
to the appropriate care. 

Health sciences university students acquire 
knowledge about various pathologies, including 
stroke, over time. The recognition of the occurrence 
of a stroke, the adequate general public orientation 
about its signs and symptoms, its classification as an 
emergency and appropriate initial conduct are very 
important, consequentially resulting in smaller rates 
of neurological disabilities, therefore, improving the 
survivor's quality of life and diminishing the costs of 
rehabilitation.   

The objective of this study was to evaluate 
health science university students’ knowledge about 

Received: 06/17/17 
Accepted: 20/12/17 



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Biosci. J., Uberlândia, v. 34, n. 3, p. 790-801, May/June 2018 

signs, symptoms, and appropriate conduct in cases 
of stroke.  

 

MATERIAL AND METHODOS 
 

This study was done at a university located 
in the north region of Paraná state, Brazil, and it was 
approved by the university’s Research Ethics 
Committee, protocol number 898.509, on 
11/27/2014. The participants were university 
students, enrolled in one of the following programs: 
Biomedicine, Biological Sciences, 
Cosmetology/Esthetician, Dentistry, Medicine, 
Nursing, Nutrition, Phonoaudiology, Pharmacy, 
Physical Education, Physiotherapy, Psychology or 
Veterinary Medicine.  

The students were first introduced to this 
research and its objectives during a class period and 
then asked to participate. To participate, the students 
were required to sign the informed consent form 
(ICF). The convenience sample methodology was 
chosen due to time and resource constraints, easier 
operational application and the necessity to elicit 
justifications, hypotheses and insights for future 
studies. However, with the intent of interviewing a 
statistically significant number of students, a 
minimal sample size was calculated, using a 
confidence interval of 95% (α=0.05), p= 0.05 and a 
margin of error of 2%.   The minimal sample size 
was, in this case, n= 1542, far surpassed by our 
actual sample size of n= 2653 students. Even with a 
sample size 72% higher than the minimal sample 
size, this study has some possible limitations 
regarding representativeness due to selection bias. 

When dividing students by years of study, 
those in four-year programs were considered 
underclassman when in their first or second year and 
upperclassman when in their third or fourth year of 
study. Those in 5-year programs were considered 
underclassman if in their first, second or third year 
and upperclassman when in their fourth or fifth year 
of study.  

The students answered a semi-structured, 
two-part questionnaire, elaborated  by Pontes-Neto 
et al. (2008). The first part had questions to gather 
socio-demographic data including gender, age, 
college major, profession, marital status, place of 
birth, city of residence and health insurance 
information. The second part consisted of the 
description of an individual having classic stroke 
symptoms plus open-ended questions related to the 
case. The aforementioned questions were not only 
meant to evaluate the participants’ ability to 
recognize the typical clinical presentation of a 
stroke strokes but to also  evaluate their perceived 

correct conduct, if they had previous exposure to 
such events and their knowledge about treatment 
options, the medical specialty that treats it, risk 
factors and the meaning of the word stroke. The 
students interviewed answered the questionnaires 
out of their own will, without previous knowledge 
about the study subject or the clinical case. Data was 
gathered from March through July of 2015.   

The answers deemed correct when 
identifying the pathology described in the clinical 
case were cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and 
stroke. Regarding conduct, the participants that 
answered that they “would call an ambulance” or 
“take the patient to the hospital” were deemed 
correct since they recognized the situations as an 
emergency in need of a fast response.   

The data base was constructed in an Excel 
spreadsheet and analyzed by the Statistical Analysis 
Software (SAS, version 9.3). Data descriptions were 
done by the means of simple frequency tables and 
cross tabulations. The association between the 
correct recognition and correct conduct in cases of 
stroke was verified by the Fischer’s exact test. All 
the tests utilized as the rejection rule for hypothesis 
H0, a confidence interval of 95% (α= 0.05), meaning 
p-value ≤ 0.05. 

 
RESULTS 

 
The total number of participants was 2653, 

with 1976 (74.57%) of these were female and 674 
(25.43%) were male. The majority of students 
(47.12% n= 1245) were between the ages of 20 and 
24, 35.88% (n=952) were between the ages of 17 
and 19, 9.84% (n=260) were 25 to 29 years old, and 
7% (n=185) were 30 years of age or older. The 
percentage of unmarried students (90.19%) 
surpassed the percentages of married (9.32%) and 
divorced (0.49%) students. The majority (73.17%) 
of students did not work, 23.40% worked in non-
healthcare fields and 3.42% already worked as 
healthcare professionals (Table 1). 

In regards to the interviewed students’ 
courses of study, 13.98% (n= 371) studied 
Dentistry, 11.80% (n=313) studied Physiotherapy, 
11.31% (n=300) studied Cosmetology, 11.23% 
(n=298) studied Physical Education, 11.08% 
(n=294) studied Phsychology, 9.76% (n=259) 
studied Medicine, 7.5% (n=199) studied 
Biomedicine, 7.39% (n=196) studied Veterinary 
Medicine, 4.86% (n=129) studied Nutrition, 3.66% 
(n=97) studied Biological sciences, 3.13% (n=83) 
studied Pharmacy, 2.45% (n=65) studied Nursing, 
and 1.85% (n=49) studied Phonoaudiology. 



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Table 1. Interviewed North Parana university healthcare students’ characteristics (gender, age, marital status 
and occupation), 2015. 

Variable Number of students (%) 

Gender   

Female 1976 74.57 

Male 674 25.43 

Age groups   

17 to 19 years old 952 35.88 

20 to 24 years old 1245 47.12 

25 to 29 years old 260 9.84 

30 or more years old 185 7.00 

Marital status   

Married 246 9.32 

Single 2380 90.19 

Divorced 13 0.49 

Occupation   

Student 1923 73.17 

Works in the healthcare field 
Other occupations 

90 
615 

3.42 
23.40 

 
 
A majority of the students, 39.02%, were in 

their first year, 28.14% in their second year, 19.20% 
in their third year, 12.12% in their fourth year, and 
1.52% in their fifth year. It is important to note that 
Medicine is a new program at the university studied 
and there are still no students in the fifth and sixth 
year.  In regards to the class period, 1172 students 
(44.39%) had classes during the night period, 826 
(31.29%) had classes in both the morning and 
afternoon periods, and 642 (24.32%) had classes 
only during the morning period. 

From the total number of students, 1618 
(61.33%) had a private insurance plan while 1019 
(38.67%) did not have a private insurance plan.  

Regarding recognition of the described 
pathology, most of the individuals interviewed 
(58.16%, n=1543) answered that the patient was 
having a cerebrovascular accident (the scientifically 
accurate term, translated to “Acidente vascular 

cerebral” in Portuguese) and 27.44% (n=728) used 
the more colloquial term stroke (“derrame” in 
Portuguese). Both were deemed correct, bringing 
the total percentage of correct answers to 86.24%. 
The remaining students incorrectly answered heart 
attack (4.82%, n=128), paralysis (4%, n=106), 
seizures (0.64%, n=17), other (1.51%, n=40) or 
don’t know (3.43%, n=91) (Table 2). 

The results showed that 82.57% (n=1466) of 
the underclassman correctly identified the stroke 
while 91.70% (n=807) of upperclassman correctly 
identified it. It was observed that there was a 
significant association (p< 0.0001) between the year 
of study and the ability to recognize a stroke. 
Among the underclassman, the percentage of 
students that mentioned other unrelated diseases as 
the pathology described in the clinical case was 
17.43% compared to only 8.30% among the 
upperclassman (Table 3). 



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Table 2. Pathology recognition among interviewed students from a university in North Paraná, 2015. 
 

Pathology n % 

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) 1543 58.16 

Stroke 728 27.44 

Heart attack 128 4.82 

Paralysis 106 4.00 

Seizure 17 0.64 

Others 40 1.51 

Don’t know 91 3.43 

 
 
Table 3. Recognition of stroke and perceived correct conduct among health field underclassman and 

upperclassman at a university in north Paraná, 2015. 

 Grade 

p-value Underclassman Upperclassman 

N % n % 

Pathology      

Stroke/CVA 1464 82.57 807 91.70 
0.0000* 

Others 309 17.43 73 8.30 

Conduct      

Correct 1500 84.60 786 89.32 
0.0008* 

Incorrect 273 15.40 94 10.68 

*Significant with a confidence interval of 95%. 
 
It should be emphasized that some students, 

when asked to identify the described pathology, 
correctly answered CVA. However, when 
questioned about the meaning of the acronym, 
would wrongly explain it as a disease related to the 
heart, using terms like “Cardiovascular Accident” 
and “Vascular Cardio accident” or would answer 
that they did not know what the acronym meant 
(Table 4). 

A significant association between 
recognition of stroke and the student’s year of study 
(underclassmen or upperclassmen) was observed in 
the Pharmacy (p= 0.005), Physiotherapy (p= 

0.0026), Medicine (p= 0.0018), Nutrition ((p= 
0.0454) and Psychology (p= 0.0079) programs.  
There was an increase in the percentage of correct 
identifications of stroke when comparing 
upperclassmen to the underclassmen.  It should be 
noted that only in the Physical Education program 
was there a decrease in the percentage of 
recognition of stroke when comparing 
upperclassman to the underclassman (Table 5). 

 
 
 

 
 



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Table 4. Knowledge of the meaning of the acronym CVA among healthcare students at a university in north 
Paraná, 2015. 

What does CVA mean? n % 

Cerebrovascular accident 1930 71.96 

Associated with heart disease 159 5.93 

Did not know 593 22.11 

 
 

 
Table 5. Knowledge about stroke among upperclassman and underclassman, by course, in a north Parana 

university, 2015. 

Course/recognition 

Grade 

p-value Underclassman Upperclassman 

n % n % 

Biomedicine      

Stroke 114 87.69 65 94.20 0.2150 

Others 16 12.31 4 5.80 

Cosmetology      

Stroke 159 78.33 84 86.60 0.1150 

Others 44 21.67 13 13.40 

Biological Sciences      

Stroke 59 84.29 24 88.89 0.7510 

Others 11 15.71 3 11.11 

Physical Education      

Stroke 191 85.65 62 82.67 0.5767 

Others 32 14.35 13 17.33 

Nursing      

Stroke 34 87.18 26 100.00 0.0777 

Others 5 12.82 0 0.00 

Pharmacy      

Stroke 33 68.75 33 94.29 0.005* 

Others 15 31.25 2 5.71 



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Physiotherapy      

Stroke 167 83.08 106 94.67 0.0026* 

Others 34 16.92 6 5.36 

Phonoaudiology      

Stroke 26 89.66 20 100.00 0.2602 

Others 3 10.34 0 0.00 

Medicine      

Stroke 130 92.86 119 100.00 0.0018* 

Others 10 7.14 0 0.00 

Veterinary Medicine      

Stroke 108 77.14 46 82.14 0.5638 

Others 32 22.86 10 17.86 

Nutrition      

Stroke 82 77.36 22 95.65 0.0454* 

Others 24 22.64 1 4.35 

Dentistry      

Stroke 217 88.21 117 93.60 0.1414 

Outros 29 11.79 8 6.40 

Psychology      

Stroke 144 72.73 83 86.46 0.0079* 

Others 54 27.27 13 13.54 

* Significant in a confidence interval of 95%. 
 
 
As mentioned before, not all the “CVA” 

answers to the recognition question should be 
automatically considered as correct. Some 
participants that answered with the acronym CVA 
defined it as being a disease related the heart, which 
can explain the high percentage of correct answers 
among the underclassman (Table 4). 

When analyzing the conduct perceived 
correct by students if confronted with the situation 
describe in the clinical case, it was observed that 
1596 (60.15%) would call an ambulance, 690 (26%) 

would take the individual to the hospital, 228 
(8.59%) would take the individual to the doctor, 96 
(3.61%) would take other actions like lay the person 
on a bed, hold their tongue, or perform first aid, and 
43 (1.62%) did not know what action to take (Table 
6). 

 
 
 
 

 



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Table 6. Conduct among healthcare students of all grades in a university in north Paraná, 2015. 

Conduct n % 

Call an ambulance 1596 60.15 

Take to the hospital 690 26.0 

Take to the doctor 228 8.59 

Others 96 3.61 

Don’t know 43 1.62 

 
Regarding the correct conduct, the answers 

“call an ambulance” and “take to the hospital” were 
deemed correct due to the fact that they are 
considered emergency responses. Any other answer 
was considered incorrect. A significant association 
between the right conduct and the year of study (p= 
0.0008) was observed in this analyses. 84.60% of 
underclassman described the correct conduct 
compared to 89.32% of the upperclassman (Table 
3). 

When analyzing the various conducts 
adopted by students, taking into consideration their 
courses and year of study, there was a small increase 
in correct answers for conduct when comparing the 
upperclassman with the underclassman (Table 7). 
This association was statistically significant in a 
confidence interval of 95% for the Biomedicine (p= 
0.0185) and Biological sciences (p= 0.0313) 
programs.  

 
Table 7. Fischer’s exact test between student’s perceived correct conduct and year of study, in a university in 

north Paraná, 2015. 

Course/conduct 

Grade 

p-value Underclassman Upperclassman 

n % n % 

Biomedicine      

Correct 101 77.69 63 91.30 
0.0185* 

Incorrect 29 22.31 6 8,70 

Cosmetology       

Correct 167 82.27 78 80.41 
0.7503 

Incorrect 36 17.73 19 19.59 

Biological Sciences      

Correct 59 84.29 27 100.00 
0.0313* 

Incorrect 11 15.71 0 0.00 

Physical Education      

Correct 196 87.89 68 90.67 
0.6750 

Incorrect 27 12.11 7 9.33 



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Nursing      

Correct 34 87.18 25 96.15 
0.3887 

Incorrect 5 12.82 1 3.85 

Pharmacy      

Correct 38 79.17 32 91.43 
0.2205 

Incorrect 10 20.83 3 8.57 

Physiotherapy       

Correct 168 83.58 95 84.82 
0.8726 

Incorrect 33 16.42 17 15.18 

Phonoaudiology      

Correct 22 75.86 18 90.00 
0.2771 

Incorrect 7 24.14 2 10.00 

Medicine      

Correct 136 97.14 115 96.64 
1.0000 

Incorrect 4 3.36 4 2.86 

Veterinary Medicine      

Correct 114 81.43 49 87.50 
0.3992 

Incorrect 26 18.57 7 12.50 

Nutrition      

Correct 90 84.91 20 86.96 
1.0000 

Incorrect 16 15.09 3 13.04 

Dentistry      

Correct 202 82.11 104 83.20 
0.8854 

Incorrect 44 17.89 21 16.80 

Psychology      

Correct 220 89.07 45 95.74 
0.1919 

Incorrect 27 10.93 2 4.26 

* Significant in a confidence interval of 95%. 
 

 

 



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DISCUSSION 

 
It is expected that among healthcare 

students in higher education knowledge about 
pathologies like stroke will be quantifiably superior 
to that of the general population due to more 
extensive study on the subject. The influence that 
professionals in the healthcare field can have, as 
shapers of opinion, is important in the sense that 
they are qualified to alert the population and inform 
them about appropriate actions in health 
emergencies. Regarding stroke, among the factors 
that contribute to the delayed search for medical 
help we can emphasize the lack of the general 
population’s knowledge about it (BECKER et al., 
2001) and the failure to recognize its symptoms and 
the need for a quick response (JONES et al., 2010). 
Furthermore, there is general denial about the 
condition and misplaced hope that the symptoms 
will resolve on its own (EUROPEAN STROKE 
ORGANIZATION, 2008).  

It was observed in this study that 86.24% of 
students in the healthcare field were able to 
recognize stroke when described in a clinical case. 
Even though a majority of students did recognize it, 
a higher percentage would be ideal, considering that 
these students have the potential to raise the stroke 
awareness of the general population. In a study done 
in the city of Pelotas – RS, Brazil, only 28.2% of the 
population had any knowledge about signs and 
symptoms of stroke and knowledge about stroke 
was considered optimal in only 0.4% of the 
population (COSTA et al., 2008). Mansur (2011) 
indicated that the percentage of individuals that 
could identify at least one sign/symptom of stroke 
varied from 25% to 79.9%. Other studies show that 
knowledge about initial signs and symptoms of 
stroke amongst the general populations is low 
(FALAVIGNA et al., 2009; SILVA et al., 2012; 
OBEMBE et al., 2014; PONTES NETO, 2014). 
Moreover,  individuals with the least severe cases, 
and therefore those with better prognosis, tend to 
delay in seeking medical care, losing the therapeutic 
window which is paramount for a positive outcome 
in the natural evolution of the disease (COSTA et 
al., 2008). Few campaigns about strokes emphasize 
the importance of early intervention and 
characterize it as an emergency (COSTA et al., 
2008). 

It was also observed in this study that the 
four healthcare fields most related to prevention, 
initial care, treatment and rehabilitation of stroke 
(Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy and 
Phonoaudiology) had great results when recognizing 
stroke, being that Medicine, Nursing and 

Phonoaudiology upperclassman achieved a 
percentage of recognition of a 100%. In comparison, 
a study done with all students at a Nigerian 
University, found that there was a significant 
difference in the ability to recognize the disease 
among the various students, where those enrolled in 
the Clinical Sciences, Dentistry, Basic Medical 
Sciences and Pharmacy courses had the best results 
(SILVA et al., 2012). 

There was a general increase in the 
recognition of stroke percentages when comparing 
the upperclassman with the underclassman, 
indicating that more years of study had influence in 
the results. Other studies also showed that the main 
indicator of a more extensive knowledge about the 
subjects is an individual’s educational level 
(MANSUR, 2011; FALAVIGNA et al., 2009; 
SILVA et al., 2012; OBEMBE et al., 2014; 
PONTES NETO, 2014; RAMÍREZ-MORENO et 
al., 2016). Moreover, it is important to again 
emphasize the fact that some participants may have 
chosen CVA as the answer, but incorrectly 
associated the acronym to heart problems or did not 
know its meaning. A study done in the city of Porto, 
Portugal also indicated a strong tendency for 
participants to identify cardiovascular 
signs/symptoms as being those of a stroke 
(MANSUR, 2011). 

Low rates of recognition of a stroke’s initial 
signs and symptoms can result in the delayed search 
for adequate medical care (MORRIS et al., 1999; 
SCHROEDER et al., 2000). When patients 
recognize the initial symptoms and urgently look for 
help, they can reduce the level of disabilities 
associated with stroke (MILNER; LEWIS; ELLIS, 
2008). It is observed that the majority of those 
interviewed would have the right conduct when 
confronted with someone having a stroke, since they 
would either call an ambulance or take the patient to 
the hospital, recognizing the situation as an 
emergency that needs to be managed fast. A study 
done with the general population in West Bengal 
(India) showed that many families of patients 
experiencing a stroke not take the symptoms 
seriously and waited for the individual to heal on 
their own. It also indicated that most of the 
interviewed population would not pursue medical 
care for minor symptoms like headaches, dizziness 
or unilateral weakness (DAS et al., 2007). 

Limited strokes’ signs/symptoms 
knowledge affects the ability to raise the general 
population and patients’ awareness about the 
condition (SILVA et al., 2012). Although there is an 
increase in the percentage of right conduct-takers 
among the upperclassman when compared to the 



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underclassman, it was a small increase when we 
view each course separately, what may indicate a 
deficit in the some of the courses’ teaching approach 
to the subject. The incorporation of stroke education 
as a subject in the medical school’s curriculum 
resulted in better knowledge about the topic 
(MILNER; LEWIS; ELLIS, 2008). The success of 
such programs suggests that more information about 
stroke’s risk factors and typical signs and symptoms 
should be associated to the training of healthcare 
professionals and students (MILNER; LEWIS; 
ELLIS, 2008). 

Since this study was done in a classroom 
setting it may have an information bias. It is 
possible that during the application of the 
questionnaire some students traded information and 
this therefore affected the assessment of individual 
knowledge.  

 
CONCLUSIONS 

Healthcare field students have superior 
knowledge about the signs and symptoms of a 
stroke and about the appropriate conduct in stroke 
cases.  However, because they are future healthcare 
professionals and will have the ability to influence 
the general population’s awareness about the topic, 
it is important that they achieve even higher levels 
of knowledge as a group and as individuals.  

The establishment of educational programs 
for these students specifically focused on the 
recognition of stroke, the appropriate conduct to be 
adopted and the inclusion of early use of rt-PA as a 
treatment option will enable them to increase stroke 
awareness and knowledge in the general population.  

The increase in awareness will be especially 
beneficial to patients and families of patients with 
higher risk for cerebrovascular accidents and will 
contribute to diminish the morbidity and mortality 
rates of this pathology.   

 

 

RESUMO: O reconhecimento dos sintomas iniciais pela população leiga é importante na prevenção de sequelas 
decorrentes do AVC. O objetivo desse trabalho foi verificar o conhecimento e conduta dos universitários em casos de 
AVC. Foi aplicado um questionário semi-estruturado aos estudantes, sendo este referente a dados sócios demográficos e a 
um caso clinico básico, onde o paciente apresentava sintomas clássicos de um AVC com perguntas discursivas onde se 
averiguava sobre o reconhecimento da doença. Dos participantes, 86,24% souberam reconhecer um AVC e comparando-se 
por séries mostrou que nas finais há um incremento em torno de 10%. Observou-se que 84,60% dos alunos das series 
inicias, e 89,32% das finais teriam uma conduta correta. Apesar da maioria apresentar conhecimento do AVC, bem como a 
conduta a ser utilizada, a importância de que este número seja maior, uma vez que, poderão contribuir para a educação da 
população e a promoção da saúde. 
 

PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Acidente vascular cerebral. Neurologia. Conhecimento. Conduta. 
 

 
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