Strengthening the Stroke Team

Stroke is the #3 killer of Americans. However, with more prompt treatment, thousands of Americans may be saved or recover more fully, to return to normal life. Our goal is to reduce the deaths and disabilities due to stroke by ensuring that healthcare providers have the tools needed to quickly recognize and diagnose a stroke for treatment.

In addition to the work AAN, ACEP, and ASA are individually leading to advance stroke recognition and care, they formed The Stroke Collaborative to bring together emergency physicians and neurologists, leaders in the Acute Stroke Team, to ensure every hospital has the team and the resources available to provide the optimal care.

Why is the Stroke Collaborative Presenting a New Way to Remember the Warning Signs?
Other acronyms and devices are not inclusive of all stroke symptoms. All three of our organizations are members of the Brain Attack Coalition (BAC) and we all support an education program focusing on the "Sudden" signs of a stroke. The "Suddens" campaign is inclusive of all the warning signs (captures 100 percent of stroke symptoms) but it may be difficult to remember for the average consumer. Over the past few years, an alternative message, "FAST", has surfaced but it is not a message our organizations and the BAC support. Stroke warning signs are missing from "FAST" and since a person may only experience one symptom, it is important that all symptoms be remembered and acted upon quickly.

Why was "Give Me 5 for Stroke" Chosen?
To find a suitable alternative, the Stroke Collaborative wanted create a campaign and public message that is memorable and includes all the important stroke warning signs. We tested a new "Give Me Five" concept for communicating the warning signs of stroke to determine if it was more easily remembered among consumers than the standard "Suddens" warning signs. The results of the online survey of 1,000 people indicate that recall of all five warning signs with "Give Me Five" is nearly twice as high as the traditional warning signs. Twenty-one percent of those exposed recalled all five warning signs in some form versus 11 percent of those exposed to the traditional warning signs.

A goal of this collaborative is reached with this website—having a single landing site to access all three organizations' guidelines, practice resources and tools to allow quicker access to our collective stroke information. All Stroke Collaborative materials are available free by download at this site or by contacting us.

AAN, ACEP and AHA/ASA are proud members of the Brain Attack Coalition and all work very closely with other representatives from the stroke team. We fully anticipate expanding this collaborative so we invite you to check back for additional resources and materials to help you provide optimal stroke care.