Knowledge of stroke management among International Medical University Students in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study

Cerebrovascular accident is the fourth leading cause of death in Malaysia in 2022. Therefore, medical students must recognize the factors associated with stroke management regarding early diagnosis and proper treatment, so no delay in the treatment, and better outcomes. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge of the International Medical University (IMU) medical students on the management of stroke at acute, hyperacute, and advanced levels. A cross-sectional study of students from the IMU Clinical campus in Seremban, Kluang, and Batu Pahat was performed. A questionnaire has been constructed to collect and gather data on participants’ knowledge regarding acute stroke management, consisting of 29 true or false statements, and is adapted from The Acute Stroke Management Questionnaire (ASMaQ), which is used to measure the knowledge of acute stroke management among Malaysia healthcare professionals. Using statistical analysis, we assess the level of knowledge of IMU clinical campus junior medical students (Year 4) and senior medical students (Year 5) about stroke management. A total number of 150 participants were enrolled, with 82 and 68 participants from junior and senior groups respectively. In terms of academic performance, all senior medical students and most junior medical students achieved passing marks by scoring ≥ 17 out of 29 questions correctly. Fisher Exact Test did not display a statistically significant result (p = 0.547, p < 0.05). The junior and senior medical students have adequate knowledge about acute stroke management. There is no significant difference in acute stroke management knowledge between junior and senior medical students in our study.