Increasing Employee Awareness of the Signs and Symptoms of Heart Attack and the Need to Use 911 in a State Health Department
Introduction Early recognition of the signs and symptoms of a heart attack can lead to reduced morbidity and mortality. Methods A workplace intervention was conducted among 523 Montana state health department employees in 2003 to increase awareness of the signs and symptoms of heart attack and the...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
2004-07-01
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| Series: | Preventing Chronic Disease |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2004/jul/03_0029.htm |
| _version_ | 1797668580761796608 |
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| author | Crystelle C. Fogle Carrie S. Oser Lynda L. Blades Todd S. Harwell Steven D. Helgerson Dorothy Gohdes Michael R. Spence Drew E. Dawson |
| author_facet | Crystelle C. Fogle Carrie S. Oser Lynda L. Blades Todd S. Harwell Steven D. Helgerson Dorothy Gohdes Michael R. Spence Drew E. Dawson |
| author_sort | Crystelle C. Fogle |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction Early recognition of the signs and symptoms of a heart attack can lead to reduced morbidity and mortality. Methods A workplace intervention was conducted among 523 Montana state health department employees in 2003 to increase awareness of the signs and symptoms of heart attack and the need to use 911. All employees received an Act in Time to Heart Attack Signs brochure and wallet card with their paychecks. Act in Time posters were placed in key workplace areas. A weekly e-mail message, including a contest entry opportunity addressing the signs and symptoms of heart attack, was sent to all employees. Baseline and follow-up telephone surveys were conducted to evaluate intervention effectiveness. Results Awareness of heart attack signs and symptoms and the need to call 911 increased significantly among employees from baseline to follow-up: pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back (awareness increased from 69% to 91%); feeling weak, light-headed, or faint (awareness increased from 79% to 89%); call 911 if someone is having a heart attack or stroke (awareness increased from 84% to 90%). Awareness of chest pain, pain or discomfort in the arms or shoulders, and shortness of breath were more than 90% at baseline and did not increase significantly at follow-up. At baseline, 69% of respondents correctly reported five or more of the signs and symptoms of heart attack; 89% reported correctly at follow-up. Conclusion This low-cost workplace intervention increased awareness of the signs and symptoms of heart attack and the need to call 911. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T20:31:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8ccba677bfbd4be4bae9d788c8ef3d17 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1545-1151 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T20:31:27Z |
| publishDate | 2004-07-01 |
| publisher | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Preventing Chronic Disease |
| spelling | doaj.art-8ccba677bfbd4be4bae9d788c8ef3d172023-10-02T08:37:20ZengCenters for Disease Control and PreventionPreventing Chronic Disease1545-11512004-07-0113Increasing Employee Awareness of the Signs and Symptoms of Heart Attack and the Need to Use 911 in a State Health DepartmentCrystelle C. FogleCarrie S. OserLynda L. BladesTodd S. HarwellSteven D. HelgersonDorothy GohdesMichael R. SpenceDrew E. DawsonIntroduction Early recognition of the signs and symptoms of a heart attack can lead to reduced morbidity and mortality. Methods A workplace intervention was conducted among 523 Montana state health department employees in 2003 to increase awareness of the signs and symptoms of heart attack and the need to use 911. All employees received an Act in Time to Heart Attack Signs brochure and wallet card with their paychecks. Act in Time posters were placed in key workplace areas. A weekly e-mail message, including a contest entry opportunity addressing the signs and symptoms of heart attack, was sent to all employees. Baseline and follow-up telephone surveys were conducted to evaluate intervention effectiveness. Results Awareness of heart attack signs and symptoms and the need to call 911 increased significantly among employees from baseline to follow-up: pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back (awareness increased from 69% to 91%); feeling weak, light-headed, or faint (awareness increased from 79% to 89%); call 911 if someone is having a heart attack or stroke (awareness increased from 84% to 90%). Awareness of chest pain, pain or discomfort in the arms or shoulders, and shortness of breath were more than 90% at baseline and did not increase significantly at follow-up. At baseline, 69% of respondents correctly reported five or more of the signs and symptoms of heart attack; 89% reported correctly at follow-up. Conclusion This low-cost workplace intervention increased awareness of the signs and symptoms of heart attack and the need to call 911.http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2004/jul/03_0029.htmHeart attack911health departmentchronic diseasepublic health |
| spellingShingle | Crystelle C. Fogle Carrie S. Oser Lynda L. Blades Todd S. Harwell Steven D. Helgerson Dorothy Gohdes Michael R. Spence Drew E. Dawson Increasing Employee Awareness of the Signs and Symptoms of Heart Attack and the Need to Use 911 in a State Health Department Preventing Chronic Disease Heart attack 911 health department chronic disease public health |
| title | Increasing Employee Awareness of the Signs and Symptoms of Heart Attack and the Need to Use 911 in a State Health Department |
| title_full | Increasing Employee Awareness of the Signs and Symptoms of Heart Attack and the Need to Use 911 in a State Health Department |
| title_fullStr | Increasing Employee Awareness of the Signs and Symptoms of Heart Attack and the Need to Use 911 in a State Health Department |
| title_full_unstemmed | Increasing Employee Awareness of the Signs and Symptoms of Heart Attack and the Need to Use 911 in a State Health Department |
| title_short | Increasing Employee Awareness of the Signs and Symptoms of Heart Attack and the Need to Use 911 in a State Health Department |
| title_sort | increasing employee awareness of the signs and symptoms of heart attack and the need to use 911 in a state health department |
| topic | Heart attack 911 health department chronic disease public health |
| url | http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2004/jul/03_0029.htm |
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