Members of the public can be easily trained to spot stroke symptoms, helping people get medical help quicker, experts say.

They can use a basic one-minute test that asks people who may have had a stroke to smile, raise their arms and keep them up, and speak a simple sentence coherently.

Identifying strokes quickly is crucial, as a clot-busting drug can be given in the first three hours following a stroke which can limit the disability caused.

At the moment, only a small proportion of patients receive the drug because the stroke is not identified in time.

Everyone can recognise the signs of a stroke and this study shows how quick and simple it is to do Eoin Redahan, Stroke Association

The three stage test, called the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (CPSS), is used by doctors and nurses to initially identify if someone has had a stroke.

Spotting weakness

Stroke survivors, some of whom had symptoms such as face or arm weakness or speech deficits, and 100 unrelated visitors at a local hospital were asked to take part in the study by researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine in North Carolina.

A member of the public was taken to a room where a stroke survivor and a researcher were waiting.

They were then called by another researcher, playing the part of an emergency operator, who asked them to follow the instructions to carry out the test.

Members of the public correctly administered the test 96% of the time, the researchers found.

When stroke patients were told to raise both arms and keep them up, arm weakness was identified in 97% of cases.

People were 72% accurate in determining the lack of arm weakness.

They were also 96% accurate in detecting the presence of lack of a speech deficit.

By looking at a stroke survivor's smile, people were 94% accurate in detecting the presence of facial weakness and 74% accurate in detecting a lack.

The team now plan to use the test when patients call the emergency services in real cases of suspected stroke.

Brain is 'starving'

The research was presented to the American Stroke Association's international stroke conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

Amy Hurwitz, a medical student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, who led the research, said: "As the brain is deprived of oxygen during a stroke, it's literally starving minute-by-minute.

"The sooner the patient receives proper treatment in the appropriate medical setting, the better the chances for a full recovery.

"While treating stroke patients may require extensive training and expensive equipment, our study shows that untrained adults can successfully detect stroke symptoms.

"This ability can allow a bystander to act as 'eyes and ears' for a 911 [999] dispatcher who may be miles away."

She added: "Unlike other investigations that strive to improve the treatment of stroke within the hospital setting, this study taps into the general public as a first-line resource in the diagnosis and triage of possible stroke victims."

She said relatives of someone who may have had a stroke may be even better at detecting changes than strangers.

And she said anyone who did spot any of the three stroke symptoms should seek medical help immediately.

'Anyone can do it.'

Eoin Redahan, of the UK's Stroke Association, told BBC News Online: "We have been campaigning to raise awareness of the warning signs of stroke for some time.

"It is vital that these signs are recognised and that medical advice is sought immediately.

"Everyone can recognise the signs of a stroke and this study shows how quick and simple it is to do. Anyone can do it."

The Stroke Association has produced a leaflet called "Stroke: know the warning signs", which is available by telephoning 01604 623933.