Stroke health literacy, patient self-care ability, and educational preferences among primary caregivers of ischemic stroke patients

Purpose Subacute stroke survivors often lack self-care abilities essential for recovery and long-term management. Primary caregivers play a critical role in recognizing the importance and evaluating performance. This study aims to assess stroke health literacy, patient self-care ability, and educational preferences among primary caregivers of patients with ischemic stroke.Materials and methods This cross-sectional descriptive study recruited a convenience sample of 200 primary caregivers of ischemic stroke patients. Participants completed a web-based survey assessing stroke health literacy, perceived importance and performance of patient self-care ability, and educational preferences for a health literacy program. Paired t-tests and the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) matrix were used to identify key educational components.Results They rated the importance of patient self-care ability higher than its actual performance, indicating gaps. In the IPA matrix, the “Concentrate here” (Quadrant2) included identifying stroke-related complications and distinguishing stroke from nonthreatening symptoms. Primary caregivers demonstrated diverse educational needs, highlighting the importance of flexible, multimodal strategies to support varied learning preferences and post-stroke care demands.Conclusions Priorities include recognizing stroke complications and distinguishing stroke symptoms from nonthreatening conditions. Tailored health literacy interventions using flexible, multimodal strategies to support diverse learning needs can enhance caregiver support and address challenges of post-stroke care.