Assessment of Prescribing Patterns and Health-Related Quality of Life in Cerebral Stroke Patients

Abstract

Background and objectives: Stroke was one of the major public health challenges, not only for neuroscience but the society in general. This study aimed to assess the Prescribing Patterns and Health-Related Quality of Life in Cerebral Stroke patients. Methods: This is a prospective observational study for 6 months where patients diagnosed with cerebral stroke, satisfying the inclusion criteria were recruited and were categorized into Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. A standardised data collection was prepared and symptoms, risk factors and the prescription pattern of various drugs used were recorded. Quality of Life assessment was done by the Short Form36 questionnaire and paired t-test was used for determining any significance in the change detected before and after treatment. Results: Out of 150 patients’ stroke was higher in males (63%). The weakness of limbs (32%) constitutes the major complaint. Major risk factors associated were hypertension (30%), diabetes mellitus (18%). Cognitive enhancers (16%), antiplatelets (14%) were the most prescribed class of drugs and in combination aspirin + clopidogrel was highly prescribed. The response score of all scales increased statistically (p-value < 0.0001) indicating improved Quality of life after treatment. Conclusion: Long term studies are further required to evaluate the benefit of combinational therapy over monotherapy and to develop standard guidelines for better management. Integration of the role of a pharmacist in the management of the disease is crucial and improves clinical outcomes of patients.