🚨BE-FAST — Same as Stroke. TIA Symptoms Look Identical Until They Resolve.
If you see any one of these — call 911 immediately. Even if symptoms resolve on the way to the ED, finish the workup. A TIA looks just like a stroke until the moment it stops. Note the time the symptom started.
🎯Three Phases · One Force Field
Every square belongs to one of three phases of mastery. Inside each square's detail panel, the four sections — Concepts · Skills · Actions · Plan — are the building blocks of these phases.
📘 Learn It Tier 1 · Aware
Identity earned: Self-Advocate. The "know" — head knowledge, BE-FAST, why "it went away" is the trap, ABCD2, 90-day window, secondary prevention.
🛠 Live It Tier 2 · Active
Identity earned: Care-Team Member. The "do" — urgent workup completed, secondary-prevention regimen started, BP cuff and AFib check daily, med adherence airtight.
📣 Share It Tier 3 · Certified
Identity earned: Ambassador. The "carry forward" — teach BE-FAST + the "it went away" trap. Mentor someone tempted to skip workup. Advocate.
🛡️Your Force Field — 16 Squares
Click any square to open its detail panel. Each square is a tile in your shield. Keep clicking, learning, and acting — your Force Field gets stronger every step.
What Is a TIA?
A "warning stroke." Same mechanism as ischemic stroke (clot blocks brain artery), but blood flow restores before permanent damage. Symptoms vanish. Up to 1 in 5 patients have a full stroke within 90 days — most in the first 48 hours.
Primer360 Human Anatomy
Cerebrovascular
Same anatomy as stroke. The TIA is upstream warning that something in this network — usually a carotid artery, a heart-source clot, or small-vessel disease — is unstable. The workup tells you which.
AnatomyWho Gets a TIA?
About 240,000 reported TIAs/year in the U.S. — and many more go unreported because "it went away." Same risk picture as stroke: HTN, AFib, T2D, smoking, OSA, SCD, family history, AA disparity, Stroke Belt geography.
PrimerThe Numbers
Up to 1 in 5 TIA patients have a full stroke within 90 days. Half of those happen in the first 48 hours. Aggressive workup + immediate secondary prevention can cut that rate by ~80%. The free do-over is real — but only if you take it.
PrimerBE-FAST + The "It Went Away" Trap
BE-FAST symptoms that resolve are still 911. The single most dangerous sentence in stroke medicine is "well, it went away — I'm fine now." It didn't. The clot moved or dissolved. The artery is still unstable.
Learn ItThe ABCD² Score
A simple 0-7 score that estimates stroke risk after TIA: Age ≥60 · Blood pressure ≥140/90 · Clinical features (weakness/speech) · Duration · Diabetes. Score ≥4 = high near-term risk. Ask your team your number.
Learn ItThe 90-Day Window
The first 90 days after TIA carry the highest stroke risk of your life. The first 48 hours are highest of all. Inside that window, every hour you delay workup or skip a med dose moves the dial. Treat this window like a fire-watch.
Learn ItLifestyle Force Field
Mediterranean / DASH eating · 150 min/week movement · 7+ hr sleep (treat OSA) · stop smoking · alcohol moderation · stress / breathing skills. Same six levers as stroke. Start them this week, not next month.
Learn ItUrgent Workup & Meds Start NOW
In high-risk TIA, antiplatelets (often aspirin + clopidogrel for 21–90 days, then aspirin alone) start that day. Anticoagulant if AFib found. High-intensity statin starts that day. Workup: CT/MRI, carotid Doppler, echo, ECG/Holter, lipids, A1c.
Live ItCare Team Members
Vascular neurology (or neurology) · primary care · cardiology if AFib · vascular surgery if carotid stenosis >70% · RN care manager · pharmacist · behavioral health · AHA peer mentor. Rehab usually less central than after full stroke.
Live ItTelemedicine & Tech
Telestroke at the local ED can read your CT and decide on transfer fast. Validated home BP cuff. Smartwatch AFib detection (a TIA in someone with silent AFib should not stay silent). MyChart for fast workup follow-up.
TechInsurance & Cost
TIA workup is covered by Medicare and most commercial insurance. Antiplatelets are cheap; anticoagulants vary. NeedyMeds, RxAssist, manufacturer PAPs cover gaps. FMLA + ADA cover work. Compared to a stroke, TIA is bargain-priced — finish the workup.
Live ItEquity & the Stroke Belt
Black adults have ~2× the stroke rate of White adults, with onset ~10 years earlier. TIAs in younger and Black patients are most likely to be dismissed in EDs. Demand the workup. The cluster (SCD/HTN/OSA/T2D) sends TIAs as warnings — listen.
Share ItDon't Let Them Shrug It Off
The Ambassador / family role for TIA: do not let your loved one go home from the ED without finishing the workup. Do not let them cancel the carotid Doppler or the cardiology referral. The first 90 days are the window. You are the watch.
Share ItShare Insights with Clinicians
People who took their TIA seriously are the best teachers for the people who almost didn't. Share your "I almost went home" letter. Speak at grand rounds. Help train EMS and ED teams to not downplay resolved symptoms.
Share ItJoin the ROI Study
PHIT — Population Health Impact Tracking. Aggregate & anonymous. Help prove this program reduces TIA-to-stroke conversion, second strokes, ED revisits, and total cost. Free for patients; opt out anytime.
Study🩺 Hand-off to my Stroke Team
Print and bring to your next visit. This page tells your team what you have prepared for, what you want to focus on, and how you would like to participate as an active member of your own care team.
- I am a Prepared Patient in training for Stroke. I have reviewed all 16 squares of this Force Field Fact Sheet.
- I have started building my Health Passport, my BE-FAST family card, my home BP log, and my medication adherence log to bring to every visit.
- I want to teach back what I have learned and have you correct anything I have misunderstood — especially around my BP / A1c / LDL goals, my antiplatelet or anticoagulant plan, my AFib status, and when to call 911.
What helps my visit
Two minutes for me to teach back. One question I prepared. My home BP log. My med list. Confirm my goal numbers on the chart.
What I am working on
Hitting BP/A1c/LDL goals · medication adherence · Mediterranean / DASH eating · sleep apnea screen · AFib monitoring · rehab continuation · my family knowing BE-FAST cold.
How I want to participate
Shared decisions. Full med list before changes. Tell me your top 1–2 priorities so we agree. Use the AHRQ SHARE Approach. Help me see my numbers, not just my prescription.
🔬 Help Prove This Works — Join the FFH ROI & PHIT Study
The Prepared Patient program is being studied to see whether better preparation actually reduces second strokes, ED visits, hospital readmissions, and total cost of care — for you and for the people in your circle of influence. Your participation is voluntary, your data is aggregated and anonymized, and you can withdraw at any time.
➕ Add-On Force Field Card · Device or Skill Mastery
If your care plan adds a medical device or new skill, bolt on a 5-step Add-On Card. For Stroke common bolt-ons include: home BP cuff (validated upper-arm), pill organizer + reminders, AFib-capable smartwatch, CPAP onboarding (if OSA), home rehab program (PT/OT/SLP), MyChart messaging, fall-prevention home audit, weekly weight log.
Introduce
What it is, why it matters, what it does
Coach
Watch a demo + walk-through
Practice
Do it with a coach watching
Train
Use it daily with a check-in
Test
Demonstrate competence + earn badge
Ready to go deeper?
The Prepared Patient · Stroke course turns this fact sheet into a guided journey: pre/post knowledge checks, BE-FAST drills, secondary-prevention regimen mastery, the rehab continuum, comorbidity awareness, badge tests, and your printable Health Passport. Earn Aware → Active → Certified.