Perceptions Of Information Provision

The Stroke Association has worked with Ipsos to gauge awareness of information provision among people who have recently had a stroke.

The discussions looked particularly at:

• the level of information available about strokes;
• the impact of information provision on recovery;
• information required by people who have had strokes; and
• information which would ideally be available.

The findings showed that there is a common perception that the level of information a patient receives following a stroke depends almost entirely on where they live -- the concept of a 'postcode lottery'. It is seen to be very important to have written information available at the right time and in the right format. Face-to-face communication is also perceived to be very important but is something that very few people who have recently had a stroke received.

The overall message from stroke patients is that more information is definitely needed, not just for them but for their families. The general consensus is that the more information they receive, the better, as information can positively affect recovery, particularly in an emotional sense. Since preferences among stroke patients vary, information should come tailored to their specific needs, in order to help them better come to terms with their condition.

Down the report Perceptions of Information Provision pdf, 204KB

Technical details

The study comprised three telephone conference call focus groups held between 26-29 September 2006 with a range of people who have experienced a stroke: a group of 'media volunteers' (seven participants) defined by the Stroke Association as members of the public who are willing to share their stroke experiences with the media; young people (six participants); and older people (10 participants).