Empowering community health cadres to drive early stroke risk detection in Sedoa, Poso

The prevalence of stroke as a Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) continues to rise globally and nationally, including in Poso Regency. The working area of the North Lore Community Health Center, particularly Sedoa Village, faces challenges such as limited healthcare access, a high elderly population, and low community knowledge about early stroke detection. Empowering health cadres is a crucial strategy to address these issues. This community service activity aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of health cadres in Sedoa Village in conducting early detection and initial emergency management of stroke. The methods employed include: 1) education about stroke disease, 2) training on the FAST (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) method for early stroke symptom detection, 3) practical training on blood pressure measurement, and 4) emergency management simulation. Evaluation results indicate a significant improvement in the health cadres' knowledge, where the percentage of cadres with poor knowledge in the pre-test (76.9%) dropped to 0%, with 100% achieving a good knowledge level after the intervention. Cadres also became skilled in performing stroke screening using the FAST method and blood pressure measurement. This program proved effective in enhancing the capacity of health cadres as the front line for early detection and rapid response to stroke incidents. The expected long-term impact is a reduction in disability and mortality rates due to stroke in Sedoa Village.