Dataset Information

Stroke follow-up in primary care: a prospective cohort study on guideline adherence.

ABSTRACT:

Background

After a stroke, a person has an increased risk of recurrent strokes. Effective secondary prevention can provide significant gains in the form of reduced disability and mortality. While considerable efforts have been made to provide high quality acute treatment of stroke, there has been less focus on the follow-up in general practice after the stroke. One strategy for the implementation of high quality, evidence-based treatment is the development and distribution of clinical guidelines. However, from similar fields of practice, we know that guidelines are often not adhered to. The purpose of this study was to investigate to what degree patients who have suffered a stroke are followed up in general practice, if recommendations in the national guidelines are followed, and if patients achieve the treatment goals recommended in the guidelines.

Methods

The study included patients with cerebral infarction identified by the ICD-10 discharge diagnoses I63.0 trough I63.9 in two Norwegian local hospitals. In total 51 patients participated. They were listed with general practitioners in 18 different clinics. The material consists of the general practitioners' (GPs') medical records for these patients in the first year of follow-up; in total 381 consultations.

Results

Of the 381 consultations during the first year of follow-up, 71 (19%) had stroke as the main topic. The blood pressure (BP) target value ConclusionsThe findings support earlier claims that the development and distribution of guidelines alone is not enough to implement a certain practice. Despite being a serious condition, stroke gets limited attention in the first year of follow-up in general practice. This can be explained by the complexity of general practice, where even a serious condition loses the competition for attention to other apparently equally important issues.

SUBMITTER: Pedersen RA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6263549 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Stroke follow-up in primary care: a prospective cohort study on guideline adherence.

Pedersen Rune Aakvik RA Petursson Halfdan H Hetlevik Irene I

BMC family practice 20181128 1

<h4>Background</h4>After a stroke, a person has an increased risk of recurrent strokes. Effective secondary prevention can provide significant gains in the form of reduced disability and mortality. While considerable efforts have been made to provide high quality acute treatment of stroke, there has been less focus on the follow-up in general practice after the stroke. One strategy for the implementation of high quality, evidence-based treatment is the development and distribution of clinical gu ...[more]

PMID: 30486788

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Specialized acute treatment and high-quality follow-up is meant to reduce mortality and disability from stroke. While the acute treatment for stroke takes place in hospitals, the follow-up of stroke survivors largely takes place in general practice. National guidelines give recommendations for the follow-up. However, previous studies suggest that guidelines are not sufficiently adhered to. It has been suggested that this might be due to the complexity of general practice. A part of this complexity is constituted by patients' multimorbidity; the presence of two or more chronic conditions in the same person. In this study we investigated the extent of multimorbidity among stroke survivors residing in the communities. The aim was to assess the implications of multimorbidity for the follow-up of stroke in general practice. METHODS:The study was a cross sectional analysis of the prevalence of multimorbidity among stroke survivors in Mid-Norway. We included 51 patients, listed with general practitioners in 18 different clinics. The material consists of the general practitioners' medical records for these patients. The medical records for each patient were reviewed in a search for diagnoses corresponding to a predefined list of morbidities, resulting in a list of chronic conditions for each participant. These 51 lists were the basis for the subsequent analysis. In this analysis we modelled different hypothetical patients and assessed the implications of adhering to all clinical guidelines affecting their diseases. RESULT:All 51 patients met the criteria for multimorbidity. On average the patients had 4.7 (SD: 1.9) chronic conditions corresponding to the predefined list of morbidities. By modelling implications of guideline adherence for a patient with an average number of co-morbidities, we found that 10-11 annual consultations with the general practitioner were needed for the follow-up of the stable state of the chronic conditions. More consultations were needed for patients with more complex multimorbidity. CONCLUSIONS:Multimorbidity had a clear impact on the basis for the follow-up of patients with stroke in general practice. Adhering to the guidelines for each condition is challenging, even for patients with few co-morbidities. For patients with complex multimorbidity, adhering to the guidelines is obviously unmanageable.

Project description:BackgroundPatients presenting with acute shortness of breath and chest pain should be managed according to guideline recommendations. Serious games can be used to train clinical reasoning. However, only few studies have used outcomes beyond student satisfaction, and most of the published evidence is based on short-term follow-up. This study investigated the effectiveness of a digital simulation of an emergency ward regarding appropriate clinical decision-making.MethodsIn this prospective trial that ran from summer 2017 to winter 2018/19 at Göttingen Medical University Centre, a total of 178 students enrolled in either the fourth or the fifth year of undergraduate medical education took six 90-min sessions of playing a serious game ('training phase') in which they managed virtual patients presenting with various conditions. Learning outcome was assessed by analysing log-files of in-game activity (including choice of diagnostic methods, differential diagnosis and treatment initiation) with regard to history taking and patient management in three virtual patient cases: Non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), pulmonary embolism (PE) and hypertensive crisis. Fourth-year students were followed up for 1.5 years, and their final performance was compared to the performance of students who had never been exposed to the game but had otherwise taken the same five-year undergraduate course.ResultsDuring the training phase, overall performance scores increased from 57.6 ± 1.1% to 65.5 ± 1.2% (p < 0.001; effect size 0.656). Performance remained stable over 1.5 years, and the final assessment revealed a strong impact of ever-exposure to the game on management scores (72.6 ± 1.2% vs. 63.5 ± 2.1%, p < 0.001; effect size 0.811). Pre-exposed students were more than twice as likely to correctly diagnose NSTEMI and PE and showed significantly greater adherence to guideline recommendations (e.g., troponin measurement and D-dimer testing in suspected PE).ConclusionsThe considerable difference observed between previously exposed and unexposed students suggests a long-term effect of using the game although retention of specific virtual patient cases rather than general principles might partially account for this effect. Thus, the game may foster the implementation of guideline recommendations.

Project description:BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia. Future estimations suggest an increase in global burden of AF greater than 60% by 2050. Numerous studies provide growing evidence that AF is not only associated with stroke but also with cognitive impairment and dementia.AimThe main goal is to assess the impact of the combined use of cardiac rhythm monitoring devices, echocardiography, biomarkers and neuroimaging on the early diagnosis of AF, silent strokes and cognitive decline, in subjects at high risk of AF.Methods and analysisTwo-year follow-up of a cohort of individuals aged 65-85 years at high risk for AF, with no prior diagnosis of either stroke or dementia. The study involves baseline echocardiography, biomarkers, and neuroimaging, yearly cardiac monitoring, and semiannual clinical assessments. Different parameters from these tests will be analysed as independent variables. Throughout the study period, primary outcomes: new diagnoses of AF, stroke and cognitive impairment, along with any clinical and therapeutic changes, will be registered. A first descriptive and bivariate statistical analysis, appropriate to the types of variables, will be done. The information obtained from the data analysis will encompass adjusted risk estimates along with 95% confidence intervals. Event risk predictions will rely on multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models. The predictive value of the model will be evaluated through the utilisation of receiver operating characteristic curves for area under the curve calculation. Additionally, time-to-event analysis will be performed using Kaplan-Meier curves.Ethics and disseminationThis study protocol has been reviewed and approved by the Independent Ethics Committee of the Foundation University Institute for Primary Health Care Research-IDIAP Jordi Gol (expedient file 22/090-P). The authors plan to disseminate the study results to the general public through various scientific events. Publication in open-access journals and presentations at scientific congresses, seminars and meetings is also foreseen.Trial registration numberNCT05772806.

Project description:BackgroundPatients recovering from COVID-19 often experience persistent problems in their daily activities related to limitations in physical, nutritional, cognitive, and mental functioning. To date, it is unknown what treatment is needed to support patients in their recovery from COVID-19.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the primary allied health care of patients recovering from COVID-19 at 6-month follow-up and to explore which baseline characteristics are associated with changes in the scores of outcomes between baseline and 6-month follow-up.MethodsThis Dutch nationwide prospective cohort study evaluated the recovery of patients receiving primary allied health care (ie, dietitians, exercise therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech and language therapists) after COVID-19. All treatments offered by primary allied health professionals in daily practice were part of usual care. Patient-reported outcome measures on participation, health-related quality of life, fatigue, physical functioning, and psychological well-being were assessed at baseline and at 3- and 6-month follow-up. Linear mixed model analyses were used to evaluate recovery over time, and uni- and multivariable linear regression analyses were used to examine the association between baseline characteristics and recovery.ResultsA total of 1451 adult patients recovering from COVID-19 and receiving treatment from 1 or more primary allied health professionals were included. For participation (Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation-Participation range 0-100), estimated mean differences of at least 2.3 points were observed at all time points. For the health-related quality of life (EuroQol Visual Analog Scale, range 0-100), the mean increase was 12.3 (95% CI 11.1-13.6) points at 6 months. Significant improvements were found for fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale, range 1-7): the mean decrease was -0.7 (95% CI -0.8 to -0.6) points at 6 months. However, severe fatigue was reported by 742/929 (79.9%) patients after 6 months. For physical functioning (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-Physical Function Short Form 10b, range 13.8-61.3), the mean increase was 5.9 (95% CI 5.9-6.4) points at 6 months. Mean differences of -0.8 (95% CI -1.0 to -0.5) points for anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale range 0-21) and -1.6 (95% CI -1.8 to -1.3) points for depression were found after 6 months. A worse baseline score, hospital admission, and male sex were associated with greater improvement between baseline and 6-month follow-up, whereas age, the BMI, comorbidities, and smoking status were not associated with mean changes in any outcome measures.ConclusionsPatients recovering from COVID-19 who receive primary allied health care make progress in recovery but still experience many limitations in their daily activities after 6 months. Our findings provide reference values to health care providers and health care policy makers regarding what to expect from the recovery of patients who receive health care from 1 or more primary allied health professionals.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04735744; https://tinyurl.com/3vf337pn.International registered report identifier (irrid)RR2-10.2340/jrm.v54.2506.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Control of vascular risk factors is essential for secondary stroke prevention. However, adherence to secondary prevention medications is often suboptimal, and may be affected by cognitive impairment. Few studies to date have examined associations between cognitive impairment and medication adherence post-stroke, and none have considered whether adherence to secondary prevention medications might affect subsequent cognitive function. The aim of this study was to explore prospective associations between cognitive impairment and medication non-adherence post-stroke. METHODS:A five-year follow-up of 108 stroke survivors from the Action on Secondary Prevention Interventions and Rehabilitation in Stroke (ASPIRE-S) prospective observational cohort study. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment at 6 months, and a neuropsychological test battery at 5 years. Adherence to antihypertensive, antithrombotic and lipid-lowering medications was assessed using prescription refill data. RESULTS:The prevalence of cognitive impairment at five years was 35.6%. The prevalence of non-adherence ranged from 15.1% for lipid-lowering agents to 30.2% for antithrombotics. There were no statistically significant associations between medication non-adherence in the first year post-stroke and cognitive impairment at 5 years, nor between cognitive impairment at 6 months and non-adherence at 5 years. Stroke survivors with cognitive impairment were significantly more likely to report receiving help with taking medications [OR (95% CI): 4.84 (1.17, 20.07)]. CONCLUSIONS:This is the first study to explore the potential impact of non-adherence to secondary prevention medications on cognitive impairment in stroke survivors. Findings highlight the role of family members and caregivers in assisting stroke survivors with medication administration, particularly in the context of deficits in cognitive function. Involving family members and caregivers may be a legitimate and cost-effective strategy to improve medication adherence in stroke survivors.

Project description:BackgroundTimely, in-person access to health care is a challenge for people living with conditions such as stroke that result in frailty, loss of independence, restrictions in driving and mobility, and physical and cognitive decline. In Southeastern Ontario, access is further complicated by rurality and the long travel distances to visit physician clinics. There is a need to make health care more accessible and convenient. Home virtual visits (electronic visits, eVisits) can conveniently connect physicians to patients. Physicians use a secure personal videoconferencing tool to connect to patients in their homes. Patients use their device of choice (smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop) for the visit.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the feasibility and logistics of implementing eVisits in a stroke prevention clinic for seniors.MethodsA 6-month eVisit pilot study was initiated in the Kingston Health Sciences Centre stroke prevention clinic in August 2018. eVisits were used only for follow-up patient encounters. An integrated evaluation was used to test the impact of the program on clinic workflow and patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction was evaluated by telephone interviews, using a brief questionnaire. Access and patient satisfaction metrics were compared with concurrent standard of care (patients' prior personal experience with in-person visits). Values are presented as median (interquartile range).ResultsThere were 75 subjects in the pilot. The patients were aged 65 (56-73.5) years, and 39% (29/75) resided in rural areas. There was a shorter wait for an appointment by eVisit versus in-person (mean 59.98 [SD 48.36] days vs mean 78.36 [SD 50.54] days; P<.001). The eVisit was also shorter, taking on an average of only 10 min to deliver follow-up care with a high degree of patient satisfaction versus 90 (60-112) min for in-person care. The total time saved by patients per eVisit was 80 (50-102) min, 44 (21-69) min of which was travel time. Travel distance avoided by the patients was 30.1 km (11.2-82.2). The estimated total out-of-pocket cost savings for patients per eVisit was Can $52.83 (31.26-94.53). The estimated savings (opportunity cost for in-person outpatient care) for our eVisit pilot project was Can $23,832-$28,584. The patient satisfaction with eVisits was very good compared with their prior personal experience with in-person outpatient care.ConclusionsThe eVisit program was well received by patients, deemed to be safe by physicians, and avoided unnecessary patient travel and expense. It also has the potential to reduce health care costs. We plan to scale the project within the department and the institution.

Dataset Information

Stroke follow-up in primary care: a prospective cohort study on guideline adherence.

Background

Methods

Results

Publications

Stroke follow-up in primary care: a prospective cohort study on guideline adherence.

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