Pathway of stroke patients seeking medical care

Byun, Young Soon

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to investigate the pathway which stroke patients take in seeking medical care and to identify factors which influence that pathway. This study was conducted by a survey. The subjects were 130 adults, who were diagnosed with a stroke between January and April of 2000. Data was collected by means of a interview, questionnaires, and an Activity Index. The result of this study are summarized as follows: 1. The mean age of subject was 61.58 years. Forty-nine percent were men and fifty percent were women. The majority of the subjects were married. For educational level, thirty-three percent finished elementary school, and twenty-three percent, high school. Most of the subjects reported "middle" economic status. Ninety-two percent lived with their spouse and children. The diagnosis for seventy-two percent was ischemic stroke and for twenty-two percent, hemorrhagic stroke. 2. The most frequent early sign of stroke was hemiplegia(43.3%), loss of consciousness (36.7%), dysarthria(33.3%). The type of hospital first used was a herb hospital (40.8%), or a western hospital(59.2%). The factors in their choice were; distance from the hospital to the place that the stroke occurred(47.5%), desire for a herb hospital(15.8%), and an invitation (12.9%). The ischemic stroke patients preferred herb hospitals, but hemorrhagic stroke patients preferred a western hospitals. 3. The pattern of stroke patients seeking medical care was that forty-three percent of stroke patients pass through step 1, forty-six percent, through step 2, and 8.5% through step 3. The more steps, the higher the use of herb hospitals. 4. The factors influencing the pathway of stroke patients seeking medical care were diagnosis, and level of consciousness. Ischemic stroke patients used herb hospitals, more frequently hemorrhagic stroke patients, who used western hospitals. The alert patient preferred a herb hospital, but stupor patients preferred a western hospital. 5. The Activity Index was not related to the pathway which stroke patients used in seeking medical care.