COPD and Stroke: Evaluation and Scoping Research

COPD Groups (public):

• Perceived health danger to quit smoking – ‘quit and you’ll die!’
• ‘Prove it’ attitude – lack of trust in link between COPD & smoking; respondents want proof of the links to believe it
• Denial – ‘its not me’ attitude
• Low awareness of COPD (what it is, causes, symptoms or treatment); greater awareness of Bronchitis and also Emphysema
• No awareness of a connection between COPD and Bronchitis or Emphysema
• Communicate: term COPD, causes, symptoms, long term effects, proof
• Main barriers to seeking help were victimisation as a smoker and COPD being incurable, ‘what’s the point’ attitude
• Overcoming barriers – listen, don’t preach, explain things clearly
• High awareness of smoking cessation services – all attempted to quit
• How to stop smoking – financial incentive, free prescriptions, encouragement ‘well done’

Stroke Groups (public):

• Majority knew someone who had suffered a stroke
• Good awareness of stroke but no awareness of TIA (some awareness of ‘mini stroke’
• High awareness of causes & symptoms of stroke (esp. physical signs)
• However, concern over differentiation between less sever conditions (with similar symptoms) especially for less obvious symptoms
• Majority would call 999 if symptoms of a stroke/ TIA recognised
• Some less likely to react urgently to selves (stubborn, not bothering others)
• Surprise that stroke is biggest cause of disability in UK; key message for communication
• FAST campaign high recall and positive response
• Clarity required around TIA (what to do, the term, warning sign)

Semi-structured interviews:

(Presented as a flow chart in a very abbreviated form, so difficult to comprehend. Topics included: symptoms recalled, reaction, job role, diagnosis, causes / risk factors, information, training experiences and training).

Desk research:

Not referred to.