Abstract Body: Introduction: Retrospective studies have compared the sensitivity of FAST (Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, and Time to call 911) to BE-FAST (adds Balance loss, Eye changes to FAST), but rigorous studies comparing these mnemonics’ effectiveness in motivation to call 911 and testing recall of key stroke symptoms are lacking. Our objectives were to determine if FAST or BE-FAST was associated with better recall of the mnemonic at 30-days, and whether either mnemonic was more likely to prompt calling 911.

Methods: A nationally representative online survey of English-speaking members of the US general public was conducted. A randomized parallel 2-group design was used to compare the efficacy of FAST and BE-FAST presented as 1-minute educational videos. Assessments were made immediately (n=1,900) and 30-days later (n=1,393). T-Tests and ANOVA were used to estimate differences between groups on intent to call 911 and stroke symptom knowledge at baseline, immediately after the education, and at 30-days. Analyses were adjusted for age, stroke knowledge/experience, education level and baseline familiarity with the mnemonic.

Results: Immediately after the educational video, the likelihood of calling 911 if a stroke was suspected increased in both groups (72% to 90% in FAST and 71% to 90% in BE-FAST, p<0.001), with no difference between the groups (Figure 1). Participants’ ability to identify what the common letters F, A, and S represent was significantly higher immediately after the video than at baseline for both mnemonics (34% to 70% in FAST and 29% to 50% in BE-FAST, p<0.001). FAST had significantly higher common letter performance than BE-FAST immediately after education (70% versus 50%, p<0.001) (Figure 2).

At 30-days, the likelihood of calling 911 had declined slightly in both groups but remained increased compared to baseline with no difference between groups (Figure 1). Participants’ ability to recall what the common letters meant declined for both groups but remained higher than at baseline. Again, FAST had significantly higher common letter performance than BE-FAST after 30-days (50% versus 40%, p<0.001) (Figure 2).

Conclusions: Amongst the general public, FAST and BE-FAST were equally effective in increasing participants’ likelihood of calling 911 immediately if they suspected a stroke, and this effect persisted at 30-days. FAST performed significantly better than the BE-FAST in recalling face, arm and speech symptoms at all time points.