Health & Medicine
Prescription at the Time of Discharge Offers Better Stroke Care
Benita Matilda
First Posted: Aug 28, 2014 02:40 AM EDT
Stroke patients are 70 percent more likely to take stroke prevention medications even after one year if they are given prescription at the time of discharge.
Stroke is a medical emergency as it occurs when the flow of blood to the brain stops. It is also called as cerebrovascular accident. It is estimated that 700000 Americans suffer a stroke each year. It is listed as the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S. and is also a major cause of disability among men and women. But, nearly 80 percent of strokes can be prevented.
Researchers at the St. Michael's Hospital and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, found that patients who experienced stroke were 70 percent more likely to continue taking medications to prevent stroke a year later, only if they were given a prescription at the time of discharge.
This is based on the evaluation of data retrieved from 11 stroke centers. The data was used to determine how many Ontarians were taking medication a week, a year and two years after having a stroke. They found that simple interventions like giving prescription to a patient before discharge to increase short and long stroke prevention, was really important.
"The good news is that Ontarians are receiving very good stroke care overall," said Dr. Gustavo Saposnik, lead author of the study and director of the Stroke Research Unit of St. Michael's Hospital. "But there are still things we can do to help patients receive better quality, long-term care after a stroke. And the first thing on that list is giving each patient a prescription before he or she leaves as part of discharge planning."
A person, who suffers a single episode of stroke or a minor stroke, suffers a greater risk of having another stroke. This risk of recurrence can be dropped by 80 percent by adhering to the stroke prevention strategies like rehabilitation and taking medications.
Dr. Saposnik said that at the time of discharge most patients are more focused on the tangible issues of their recovery, such as: "What will happen at rehab?" or "What will happen when I go home? Patients have other things on their minds after a stroke and it's up to us to give them the tools they need to thrive."
A person who has experienced stroke is normally given two types of drugs. They are antihypertensive that lower blood pressure and statins that lower blood cholesterol levels. Patients are given either of these drugs or both and they stay on these drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent a stroke.
Those given prescription at the time of discharge are 70 percent more likely to continue taking both the drugs a year later and 40 percent more likely after two years.
The finding was documented in The Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease.
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First Posted: Aug 28, 2014 02:40 AM EDT
Stroke patients are 70 percent more likely to take stroke prevention medications even after one year if they are given prescription at the time of discharge.
Stroke is a medical emergency as it occurs when the flow of blood to the brain stops. It is also called as cerebrovascular accident. It is estimated that 700000 Americans suffer a stroke each year. It is listed as the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S. and is also a major cause of disability among men and women. But, nearly 80 percent of strokes can be prevented.
Researchers at the St. Michael's Hospital and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, found that patients who experienced stroke were 70 percent more likely to continue taking medications to prevent stroke a year later, only if they were given a prescription at the time of discharge.
This is based on the evaluation of data retrieved from 11 stroke centers. The data was used to determine how many Ontarians were taking medication a week, a year and two years after having a stroke. They found that simple interventions like giving prescription to a patient before discharge to increase short and long stroke prevention, was really important.
"The good news is that Ontarians are receiving very good stroke care overall," said Dr. Gustavo Saposnik, lead author of the study and director of the Stroke Research Unit of St. Michael's Hospital. "But there are still things we can do to help patients receive better quality, long-term care after a stroke. And the first thing on that list is giving each patient a prescription before he or she leaves as part of discharge planning."
A person, who suffers a single episode of stroke or a minor stroke, suffers a greater risk of having another stroke. This risk of recurrence can be dropped by 80 percent by adhering to the stroke prevention strategies like rehabilitation and taking medications.
Dr. Saposnik said that at the time of discharge most patients are more focused on the tangible issues of their recovery, such as: "What will happen at rehab?" or "What will happen when I go home? Patients have other things on their minds after a stroke and it's up to us to give them the tools they need to thrive."
A person who has experienced stroke is normally given two types of drugs. They are antihypertensive that lower blood pressure and statins that lower blood cholesterol levels. Patients are given either of these drugs or both and they stay on these drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent a stroke.
Those given prescription at the time of discharge are 70 percent more likely to continue taking both the drugs a year later and 40 percent more likely after two years.
The finding was documented in The Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone