Brief telephone interventions to help those with high stroke risk?

Interventional telephone calls could increase the chance of people at high risk of a stroke seeking follow up care, according to a new study.

The research, published in the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, found that a telephone intervention made these patients twice as likely to visit their primary care physician to discuss stroke screening results.

Some participants were given typical information on stroke while others received a telephone call which involved a brief intervention offering specific advice and discussed any barriers to seeing a doctor.

Rajesh Balkrishnan, of the University of Michigan, said: "Telephone interviewers worked with these patients and reinforced the need for stroke care with a primary care doctor."

In other news, a Indiana University team found that stroke survivors could improve their balance and endurance skills by taking up yoga.

Participants experienced a better balancing ability as well as improved confidence in their balancing skills.

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