Public and outpatients’ awareness of calling emergency medical services immediately by acute stroke in an upper middle-income country: a cross-sectional questionnaire study in greater Gaborone, Botswana

Ookeditse Ookeditse; Kebadiretse K. Ookeditse; Thusego R. Motswakadikgwa; Gosiame Masilo; Yaone Bogatsu; Baleufi C. Lekobe; Mosepele Mosepele; Henrik Schirmer; Stein H. Johnsen

doi:10.1186/s12883-022-02859-z

BMC Neurology (Sep 2022)

Public and outpatients’ awareness of calling emergency medical services immediately by acute stroke in an upper middle-income country: a cross-sectional questionnaire study in greater Gaborone, Botswana

Ookeditse Ookeditse,
Kebadiretse K. Ookeditse,
Thusego R. Motswakadikgwa,
Gosiame Masilo,
Yaone Bogatsu,
Baleufi C. Lekobe,
Mosepele Mosepele,
Henrik Schirmer,
Stein H. Johnsen

Affiliations

Ookeditse Ookeditse: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Division of Neurorehabilitation Medicine, Trust hospital in Vestfold, Kysthospitalet Sykehuset
Kebadiretse K. Ookeditse: Department of Family Medicine and Occupational Medicine, Sidilega Private Hospital
Thusego R. Motswakadikgwa: Department of Internal Medicine, Sidilega Private Hospital
Gosiame Masilo: Department of Family Medicine, Larvik County Acute and Emergency Clinic
Yaone Bogatsu: Faculty of Medicine, University of Botswana
Baleufi C. Lekobe: Department of Internal Medicine, Sidilega Private Hospital
Mosepele Mosepele: Faculty of Medicine, University of Botswana
Henrik Schirmer: UIT The Arctic University of Norway, Institute of Clinical Medicine
Stein H. Johnsen: UIT The Arctic University of Norway, Institute of Clinical Medicine

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-022-02859-z
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 22, no. 1
pp. 1 – 16

Abstract

Read online

Highlights • This is the first study comparing awareness of calling EMS among outpatients and public in sub-Saharan Africa • Awareness of calling EMS or seeking immediate medical services by acute stroke was adequate among both outpatients and public • Predictors of low awareness of both calling EMS and seeking immediate medical assistance were no medical insurance, residing/working together, history of psychiatric diseases, and normal weight • Results call for educational campaigns on awareness of calling EMS/ seeking immediate medical assistance by stroke.

Published in BMC Neurology

ISSN: 1471-2377 (Online)
Publisher: BMC
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry: Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system
Website: http://bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords