Follow up of Stroke Patients by Neurologists and General Practitioners

Follow up of Stroke Patients by Neurologists and GP's: How Smooth is the Internal Communication and is There Room for Improvement?

From the region around Brussels there are currently few data on how the post-stroke process take place and how satisfied the care providers are with it. For this reason, this survey is set up with the aim of examining four pillars: the epidemiology of stroke, communication between neurologists and GPs and satisfaction with it, secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and control/treatment of the most common sequelae after stroke. In the latter two, the emphasis is on detection and treatment, and explicitly on whose task this is (neurologist versus GP), with the aim of verifying the mutual consensus on treatment and the subsequent detection of treatment shortcomings. This study will mainly consist of interviewing general practitioners and neurologists in the periphery of Brussels. This will be done by means of partly structured questionnaires, that will be send out to the medical professionals by contact with the central umbrella organisations of neurology in the hospitals and contact with the various general practitioners' practices (directly or through the multidisciplinary meetings per region). The questionnaires will be made up in google forms, as this programme allows efficient data processing, is eas-ily understandable for every participant and as no individual patient data will be processed.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Stroke
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Survey

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 24 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Neurologists and general practitioners around Brussels

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Neurologist and/or general practitioner

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not actively treating stroke patients

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Other
• Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Neurologists	Other: Survey; Questionnaire
General practitioners	Other: Survey; Questionnaire

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
secondary prevention stroke: Antithrombotics	Given that the purpose of our study is not to determine which antithrombotics are started, this will not be determined. What will be asked, however, is which healthcare provider starts this and whose task this is considered to be. Values will be reflected in ratios and percentages (%) of healthcare providers (both differences interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary)	1,5 - 2 years
secondary prevention stroke: Hypertension	This study will ask who starts antihypertensive drugs, whose task this is considered, how blood pressure is monitored and what the target values are. Values will be reflected in ratios and percentages (%) of healthcare providers (both differences interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary)	1,5 - 2 years
secondary prevention stroke: Smoking	The questionnaire will ask whether healthcare providers themselves actively detect smoking behaviour and how this smoking behaviour is addressed. (ex. via medication, consultation with tabacologist etc) Values will be reflected in ratios and percentages (%) of healthcare providers (both differences interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary)	1,5 - 2 years
secondary prevention stroke: Diabetes	The questionnaire will ask whether diabetes is actively detected by the healthcare provider himself, whether the treatment is subsequently started/adjusted himself and whose task this is according to them (neurologist, GP, diabetologist,...) At the end, it will also be asked whether healthcare providers would like to see changes in secondary prevention of stroke (open question, all answers will be checked) and whether the healthcare provider considers themselves to be capable enough to follow up secondary prevention in stroke patients (as this seems to be a good measure of the quality of currently available guidelines). Values will be reflected in ratios and percentages (%) of healthcare providers (both differences interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary)	1,5 - 2 years
secondary prevention stroke: general	At the end, it will also be asked whether healthcare providers would like to see changes in secondary prevention of stroke (open question, all answers will be checked) and whether the healthcare provider considers themselves to be capable enough to follow up secondary prevention in stroke patients (as this seems to be a good measure of the quality of currently available guidelines). Values will be reflected in ratios and percentages (%) of healthcare providers (both differences interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary)	1,5 - 2 years
sequelae of stroke: Fatigue	During the study, it will check whether fatigue is detected (example: if the treating physician often actively asks the patiënt for mental and/or physical fatigue) and what treatment is instituted. (example: psychologist, physiotherapy,...) Values will be reflected in ratios and percentages (%) of healthcare providers (both differences interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary)	1,5 - 2 years
sequelae of stroke: Depression	The questionnaire will explore whether depression itself is detected by the healthcare provider, how this is done (screening questions, heteroanamnesis,...), whose job it is and whether a referral is made and to whom. Values will be reflected in ratios and percentages (%) of healthcare providers (both differences interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary)	1,5 - 2 years
sequelae of stroke: Sexual dyfunction	This study will evaluate whether sexual dysfunction is being asked, whether and what treatment is initiated. (example: medication, couples therapy etc.) Values will be reflected in ratios and percentages (%) of healthcare providers (both differences interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary)	1,5 - 2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): September 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 25, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 18, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): January 23, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 14, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 9, 2023
• Last Verified: August 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Cardiovascular Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Stroke
• Other Study ID Numbers: 22258PSFU

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No