Medication Persistence Rates and Factors Associated with Persistence in Patients Following Stroke: A Cohort Study

BMC Neurology

Table 1 Characteristics of the 420 Patients Enrolled in the Stroke Outcome Study from 2001–2002 at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Characteristic	n (%)^a
Sex
Male	234 (55.7)
Female	186 (44.3)
Age (years)	68.2 ± 13.8
< 65	138 (32.9)
65–79	198 (47.1)
≥ 80	84 (20.0)
History of previous stroke (n = 418)	109 (26.1)
Length of hospital stay (days)	16.2 ± 21.1
Stroke subtype
Partial anterior circulation	132 (31.4)
Lacunar	106 (25.2)
Posterior circulation	79 (18.8)
Total anterior circulation	30 (7.1)
Transient ischemic attack	59 (14.0)
Uncertain	14 (3.3)
Stroke severity
Transient ischemic attack	35 (8.4)
Mild	90 (21.5)
Moderate	226 (53.9)
Severe	68 (16.2)
Unknown	1 (0.002)
Disability at discharge
Independent	333 (79.3)
Dependent	87 (20.7)
Cognitive impairment at discharge
Not impaired	111 (26.4)
Impaired	84 (20.0)
Missing	225 (53.6)
Atrial fibrillation (n = 418)	60 (14.4)
Average household income (n = 386)	$55,472 ± 19,370
Total medications prescribed^b	6.4 ± 2.6
Total doses taken per day^b	8.6 ± 4.5
Monthly cost of prescription drugs^c	$167.10 ± 99.47

^aValues expressed as number (%) or mean ± standard deviation, n = 420 unless otherwise noted
^bIncludes all prescription and non-prescription medications ordered by a physician at time of discharge
^cIncludes only community prescription drug costs at time of discharge excluding pharmacist's professional fees

ISSN: 1471-2377