Abstract Details

Title Perceptions of Preventive Stroke Care Received by Women in Different Primary Care Settings

Topic Practice, Policy, and Ethics

Presentation(s) P5 - Poster Session 5 (5:30 PM-6:30 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 4-071

Objective To evaluate patient perceptions of primary stroke prevention in women attending three different primary care clinics: Internal Medicine (IM), Family Medicine (FM), and Obstetrics/Gynecology (Ob/Gyn).

Background Primary care physicians (PCPs) play a crucial role in screening their patients for stroke risk factors and counseling them on reducing their risk of stroke. PCPs for women include IM, FM, and Ob/Gyn. We investigated women’s perception differences in stroke prevention between the three clinics.

Design/Methods A structured, standardized survey was administered to patients in the waiting room of each of the 3 clinics at SUNY Downstate. Patients answered questions about which modifiable stroke risk factors the physician discussed with them in the past year, including hypertension, diabetes, weight, smoking, alcohol, exercise, cholesterol, diet, oral contraceptive use, and family history of stroke. The patients also answered whether the doctor had tested their cholesterol, blood sugar, weight, and blood pressure in the past year.

Results The study included 90 female patients over age 18 (IM n=30, FM n=31, OB n=29). Kruskal Wallis test compared the number of stroke risk factors addressed by physicians and tested by physicians. The number of risk factors the physician discussed with the patient did not differ significantly between the groups: FM=7.9 (7.0, 8.6); IM=6.7 (5.6, 7.7); OB=6.2 (4.6, 7.5); p=0.059. The number of risk factors tested for also did not differ significantly FM=2.9 (2.4, 3.6); IM= 2.5 (2.0, 3.2); OB=2.1 (1.5, 2.8); p=0.228.

Conclusions Women appear to receive the same amount of preventive stroke care between Ob/Gyn, IM and FM physicians based on their perceptions. This suggests that women are being screened regardless of the type of PCP they see. However, this study was limited by a small sample size and women’s memories, so future research is warranted to confirm these preliminary findings.

Authors/Disclosures
Caroline Atlas (SUNY Downstate) PRESENTER	No disclosure on file
Nadege Gilles (SUNY Downstate Medical Center)	Ms. Gilles has nothing to disclose.
Sarah Z. Weingast (SUNY Downstate Medical Center)	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
Steven Levine, MD, FAHA (SUNY Downstate Medical Center)	Dr. Levine has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for MEDLINK. Dr. Levine has received personal compensation in the range of $50,000-$99,999 for serving as an Expert Witness for Law Firms. The institution of Dr. Levine has received research support from NIH.

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