The Stroke Warning Information and Faster Treatment Study (SWIFT)

February 15, 2013 updated by: Columbia University
The purposes of this study are to determine the effectiveness of an interactive stroke educational program compared to standard educational materials and usual care, to increase stroke knowledge, and to improve emergency room arrival times upon onset of stroke symptoms.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Rapid diagnosis and treatment of acute ischemic stroke is critical to reduce disability and death caused by stroke. While recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, or rt-PA, is the only approved treatment for acute ischemic stroke, less than 2-3 percent of individuals with stroke actually receive treatment. The inability to capture acute ischemic stroke cases within 3 hours of symptom onset is one critical factor. Populations at highest risk for stroke are significantly undereducated about the need for rapid, intervention upon onset of stroke symptoms. This is especially true among vulnerable populations including African Americans, Hispanics, and the poor.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a 2-session, culturally-sensitive, interactive stroke educational program compared to standard educational materials and usual care. In this study, the scientists will determine if the interactive program increases knowledge about stroke, and results in earlier arrival to the emergency room in the case of stroke.

The study will enroll 1400 individuals who have had a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Participants will be randomized to receive usual medical care--which includes standard educational information on stroke, stroke warning signs and risk factors--or usual medical care plus a 2-session interactive stroke educational program. All participants will be administered pre and post (30 days and 1 year) intervention stroke knowledge/behavior surveys. In additional, participants will be contacted every 12 months to check health status and document new stroke events associated with emergency room arrival time.

The SWIFT study is part of the Specialized Program for Translational Research in Acute Stroke (SPOTRIAS), which seeks to understand why certain people may be at increased risk for stroke. The goal of the study is to increase stroke knowledge, change behavior, and improve emergency room arrival times upon onset of stroke symptoms.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

1635

Phase

  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10032
        • Neurological Institute, 710 W 168th Street, 6th Floor, Room 640

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosed with cerebral infarction/TIA hospitalized at New York Presbyterian Hospital (Milstein Hospital and Allen Pavilion)
  • 18 year-old and older at onset of the stroke
  • Self-identified as of White, Black or Hispanic race-ethnicity
  • Living in a household with a telephone

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients unable to give informed consent
  • Discharged to nursing home or requiring 24 hour care.
  • A Modified Rankin score > 4 at baseline
  • Severe aphasia or severe cognitive impairment limiting comprehension
  • Pre-stroke dementia history
  • Patients with end stage cancer, or other medical conditions resulting in mortality </= 1 year

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: 1
interactive educational program
2-session interactive stroke educational program
Active Comparator: 2
usual medical care
standard educational materials and usual care

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Surveillance methodologies will measure arrival times of acute strokes from stroke symptoms onset to ER among participants for the length of the study, as well as increase in stroke knowledge at one month and one year post stroke event.
Time Frame: at one month and one year post stroke event
at one month and one year post stroke event

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Bernadette Boden-Albala, DrPH, Columbia University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

February 1, 2005

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2012

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 21, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 21, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

December 22, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

February 18, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 15, 2013

Last Verified

February 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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