Improving post-stroke care in general practice: an investigation of outcomes after stroke and an analysis of a new intervention for managing patients who have had a stroke

Introduction: Improving the understanding of factors contributing to poor outcomes, and identifying beneficial elements of interventions, can assist better management of patients who have had a stroke. Part 1 Aim: To investigate associations between risk factors and long-term outcomes after stroke. Methods: Using data obtained for a community-based study of stroke, we undertook Cox proportional hazards regression analyses to identify factors associated with the risk of stroke, acute myocardial infarction or death. Results: For the first time, we found evidence that smoking at the time of stroke (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.30, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06 – 1.60, p=0.012) and a systolic blood pressure