Effectiveness of a Nurse-Led Structured Teaching Programme on Knowledge of Early Warning Signs and Prevention of Stroke among Hypertensive Patients: A Pre-Experimental Study from Cuttack, Odisha

Background: Hypertension is the leading modifiable risk factor for stroke, and early recognition of warning signs determines whether patients reach treatment in time. Knowledge of stroke among hypertensive patients in eastern India has rarely been measured or targeted by structured education. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a nurse-led structured teaching programme (STP) on knowledge of the early warning signs and prevention of stroke among hypertensive patients, and to examine the association of knowledge with selected socio-demographic variables. Methods: A quantitative, pre-experimental one-group pre-test–post-test study was carried out among 50 hypertensive patients aged 35–60 years, selected by purposive sampling at a multispecialty hospital in Tangi, Cuttack, Odisha. Knowledge was measured with a validated 30-item structured knowledge questionnaire (test–retest r = 0.92). The STP, a 45-minute lecture-cum-discussion supported by PowerPoint slides, was delivered in groups of five, and the post-test was administered seven days later. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics, the paired ttest and the chi-square test. Results: At pre-test, 60% of participants had inadequate and 40% moderate knowledge, and none had adequate knowledge. After the STP, 82% had moderate, 16% adequate and 2% inadequate knowledge. The mean knowledge score rose from 10.02 ± 5.01 to 16.38 ± 4.61 (out of 30), a mean gain of 6.36 points (95% CI 4.46–8.26; paired t = 6.725, df = 49, p < 0.001; paired effect size dz = 0.95). Knowledge was not significantly associated with age, gender, education, family type, occupation or type of community at either assessment (p > 0.05). Conclusion: A single, brief nurse-led STP produced a large short-term improvement in hypertensive patients' knowledge of stroke warning signs and prevention, although few reached the adequate level. Structured stroke education should be built into routine hypertension care and reinforced over repeated contacts.