This study evaluated whether mild stroke patients who received a community-based stroke nursing intervention had better stroke knowledge, behaviour and self-efficacy than those who were exposed to traditional education programmes. The intervention group consisted of sixty five stroke patients randomly selected from seven communities who received three 2-hour stroke interventions per week for 8 weeks. The normal care group consisted of sixty two stroke patients randomly selected from a medical centre who received a general stroke education programme. The stroke patients in two groups were assessed at baseline, after intervention and at the 6-month follow-up. At the 6-month follow-up, the intervention group demonstrated an improvement in the knowledge of stroke risk factors compared with the normal care group. Three months after education, the intervention group exhibited changes in the knowledge of stroke, social participation and self-efficacy compared with those at baseline. Also, self-efficacy was correlated with the knowledge of stroke risk factors after intervention and at the 6-month follow-up; self-efficacy was correlated with social participation after the 6-month follow-up. A community-based stroke nursing intervention might have effects on changes in the knowledge of stroke risk factors, social participation and self-efficacy.
