Nicol and Thrift ign 60.0% y f i t m iend tpo 40.0% m tage /sy cen isgn 20.0% r e P 0.0% 100.0% g ifyn 80.0% i t m iend tpo 60.0% tage /sym 40.0% n cen isg re 20.0% P 0.0% Numbness(any) WeaDknifefiscsul(taynsyp)eaking/understanding Visiondisturbance Dizziness Headache LNGionercrtmohlranhn,inyUe,S-2WA00,e0s2t0(fag0l)0ia(nf)area, Figure 1 Results of open-ended studies of knowledge of stroke warning signs. (a) Pancioli et al 1998, (b) Yoon et al 2001b, (c) Rowe et al 2001, (d) Schneider et al 2003, (e) Reeves et al 2002, (f) Hux et al 2000, (g) Weltermann et al 2000. signs established by the (American) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS 2005): numbness or weakness in the face, arms, or legs (especially on one side of the body); confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding speech; vision disturbances in one or both eyes; dizziness, trouble walking, loss of balance or coordination; severe headache with no known cause. The symptoms listed above are almost identical to those provided by Australia’s National Stroke Foundation (NSF 2005), which includes a sixth sign, “difficulty swallowing”. To provide a brief summary of the findings of the studies where knowledge of stroke warning signs was reported, two figures of results have been constructed using the five common symptoms and signs of stroke, with data sorted into open- and closed-ended study types (Figures 1 and 2, respectively). Only those studies where the results can been grouped into these five signs have been displayed in the figure – any data regarding other signs or symptoms have been omitted. The most immediately obvious finding of the comparison between studies of stroke knowledge is the difference in responses obtained using open- and closed-ended Numbness/weakDnifefiscsul(taynsyp)eaking/understanding Visiondisturbance Dizziness Headache Figure 2 Results of closed-ended studies of knowledge of stroke warning signs. (a) Yoon et al 2001a, (b) Rowe et al 2001, (c) Greenlund et al 2003, (d) Hux et al 2000, (e) Parahoo et al 2003. 140 Vascular Health and Risk Management 2005:1(2) Cincinnati, USA, 1998 (a) Newcastle, Australia, 2001(b) Georgia, USA, 2001(c) Cincinnati, USA, 2003 (d) Michigan, USA, 2002 (e) Newcastle, Australia, 2001 (a) Georgia, USA, 2001 (b) 17 States, USA, 2003 (c) Lincoln, USA, 2000 (d) Northern Ireland, 2003 (e)