Strategies to improve stroke literacy among healthcare providers in Uganda

Background In Uganda, stroke is the leading cause of neurological admissions and medical coma. Additionally, stroke literacy among healthcare providers (HCPs) has been reported in precedent knowledge gap analysis in the country to alarmingly low. This article, an extension of the referenced knowledge gap analysis proposes strategies to enhance stroke literacy among HCPs. Methods The original study utilized a cross-sectional survey over eight weeks, involving 120 adult participants, including 60 HCPs, at two major stroke referral hospitals. Data were collected through structured, questionnaire-based interviews. Knowledge of BE-FAST was scored as poor (≤ 2), moderate (3–4), or strong (≥ 5). IBM’s SPSS Statistics program was used for analysis, with descriptive variables compared using Fisher’s exact tests and correlations assessed via Kendall’s tau-b or tau-c. Results Among the 60 HCPs, primarily medical interns (38.3%), only 33.3% (20 HCPs) knew the BE-FAST algorithm, with a median score of 5 (IQR 4–6). Only 10 HCPs demonstrated knew all six BE-FAST components. Undergraduate training was the primary knowledge source for 55% of those familiar with BE-FAST (p < 0.001), showing a strong correlation with knowledge (Kendall’s tau-c = 0.889, p < 0.001). Prior training significantly improved knowledge scores (p = 0.036). Conclusion Given the deficient stroke literacy among HCPs, integrating evidence-based stroke training into Uganda’s medical, nursing, and paramedical curricula is very critical. Advocacy for increased funding to support HCPs’ participation in specialized continental and global stroke care programs is recommended to bolster stroke care competence among the country’s HCPs towards reliably improved stroke care services nationwide.