New research calls for GP receptionists to receive formal training to recognise stroke symptoms

The research, carried out by Oxford University, studied the response of 52 general practices when medical role actors called with one to three symptoms of acute stroke.

It found that nearly a third of GP receptionists failed to direct patients with stroke symptoms for immediate help, with receptionists performing well when presented with ‘FAST’ (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) symptoms, but less effective at recognising symptoms relating to posterior circulation stroke, such as vomiting, visual disturbance or vertigo.

Lead researcher Dr James Sheppard, a Medical Research Council fellow at Oxford University’s Primary Care Health Sciences department, said: “Patients suffering from stroke require urgent care in hospital. A delay of just a few hours, caused by calling the GP surgery instead of 999, could have a significant impact on patient outcomes.

“Unlike call handlers answering 999 calls, few GP receptionists are trained to recognise the symptoms of stroke and triage patients appropriately. We were therefore surprised that such a high number of simulated calls were correctly referred for immediate care. That said, simulated calls containing lesser known symptoms of stroke were often dealt with incorrectly, suggesting that some formal training of receptionists would be valuable.”

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