Abstract | BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Physician prescribing patterns change slowly despite published randomized trials and consensus guidelines. We measure the effect of Management of Atherothrombosis With Clopidogrel in High-Risk Patients (MATCH) trial on discharge prescribing patterns for patients with stroke and those with transient ischemic attack in the Get With The Guidelines (GWTG)- Stroke Program. METHODS: We analyzed discharge prescribing patterns of antithrombotic medications for patients admitted with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack at hospitals participating in GWTG- Stroke between October 2002 to January 2006. Clinical information by quarter was analyzed in relation to publication of the MATCH study. Frequency of discharge prescription of aspirin+clopidogrel post-MATCH publication was compared with the pre-MATCH period after adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics and clustering by hospital. RESULTS: A total of 107 872 patients at 632 sites were eligible to receive antithrombotic therapy at discharge. Use of aspirin+clopidogrel therapy declined from 22.4% to 15.4% of patients after the publication of MATCH (adjusted OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.70, P<0.0001). Analysis by quarter revealed a rapid and sustained decrease in use of aspirin+clopidogrel therapy for the remainder of the study period. CONCLUSIONS: A rapid and sustained reduction in the frequency of aspirin+clopidogrel use in ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack was observed after publication of the MATCH trial in the absence of MATCH-specific GWTG- Stroke initiatives and preceding an American Heart Association guideline update.
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Authors | Bijoy K Menon, Michael R Frankel, Li Liang, Kenneth A Labresh, Gray Ellrodt, Adrian F Hernandez, Gregg C Fonarow, Lee H Schwamm, Eric E Smith, Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Steering Committee and Investigators |
Journal | Stroke
(Stroke)
Vol. 41
Issue 9
Pg. 2094-7
(Sep 2010)
ISSN: 1524-4628 [Electronic] United States |
PMID | 20634476
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Chemical References |
- Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors
- Clopidogrel
- Ticlopidine
- Aspirin
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Topics |
- Aspirin
(therapeutic use)
- Brain Ischemia
(drug therapy)
- Clinical Trials as Topic
- Clopidogrel
- Drug Therapy, Combination
- Humans
- Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors
(therapeutic use)
- Practice Guidelines as Topic
- Practice Patterns, Physicians'
(trends)
- Prescriptions
- Stroke
(drug therapy)
- Ticlopidine
(analogs & derivatives, therapeutic use)
- United States
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