Provider Factors Influence Secondary Stroke Prevention Adherence

Provider Factors Influence Secondary Stroke Prevention Adherence
Friday, September 16, 2011
By: Eleanor McDermid

Eleanor McDermid, MedWire News

About a third of stroke patients discontinue secondary preventive medications within a year of hospital discharge, but few do so on their own initiative, shows an analysis of AVAIL participants.

"This study revealed that the majority of patients are compliant in taking their medications, but it also showed us specific vulnerabilities from the patient's perspective that might explain why some patients stop medications," said lead researcher Cheryl Bushnell (Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA).

In all, 2,457 of the AVAIL (Adherence eValuation After Ischemic stroke-Longitudinal) Registry participants were interviewed one year after discharge from hospital for ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack.

At this time, 65.9 percent of participants were regimen persistent, meaning they were still taking every single medication prescribed at hospital discharge, and 86.6 percent were regimen adherent, meaning that they were taking all their medications unless a healthcare provider had advised them otherwise.