Table 3.
Characteristics Associated with Medication Nonpersistence at Six Months in the 420 Patients Enrolled in the Stroke Outcome Study from 2001–2002 at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| Characteristic | Antihypertensive | Antithrombotic | Antilipidemic | ||||||
| Not Persistenta | Unadj OR | Adj OR | Not Persistenta | Unadj OR | Adj OR | Not Persistenta | Unadj OR | Adj OR | |
| Stroke Cohort | 21/384 (5.5) | 20/405 (4.9) | 22/307 (7.2) | ||||||
| Age (years) | |||||||||
| < 65 | 7/112 (6.3) | 0.42 (0.16, 1.13) | 0.37 (0.13, 1.03) | 9/130 (6.9) | 0.82 (0.29, 2.29) | 0.92 (0.32, 2.65) | Not significant | ||
| 65–79 | 3/192 (1.6) | 0.10 (0.03, 0.37) | 0.11 (0.03, 0.39) | 4/191 (2.1) | 0.24 (0.07, 0.83) | 0.23 (0.06, 0.81) | |||
| ≥ 80 | 11/80 (13.8) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 7/84 (8.3) | 1.00 | 1.00 | |||
| Total medications prescribedb | 0.80 (0.65, 0.995) | Not significant | Not significant | ||||||
| Monthly drug costsc | |||||||||
| < $90.00 | 7/78 (9.0) | 7.05 (1.43, 34.81) | 6.74 (1.32, 34.46) | Not significant | Not significant | ||||
| $90.00 – $199.99 | 12/161 (7.5) | 5.76 (1.27, 26.18) | 5.25 (1.14, 24.25) | ||||||
| ≥ $200.00 | 2/145 (1.4) | 1.00 | 1.00 | ||||||
| OHS impairment before stroke | |||||||||
| Independent | Not significant | 17/390 (4.4) | 1.00 | 1.00 | Not significant | ||||
| Dependent | 3/15 (20.0) | 5.49 (1.41, 21.27) | 7.01 (1.66, 29.58) | ||||||
| OHS impairment at discharge | |||||||||
| Independent | Not significant | 11/318 (3.5) | 1.00 | Not significant | |||||
| Dependent | 9/87 (10.3) | 3.22 (1.29, 8.04) | |||||||
| Tobacco use before stroke | |||||||||
| Yes | Not significant | Not significant | 5/23 (21.7) | 4.35 (1.44, 13.13) | 4.35 (1.44, 13.13) | ||||
| No | 17/283 (6.0) | 1.00 | 1.00 | ||||||
| History of previous stroke | |||||||||
| Yes | Not significant | Not significant | 1/76 (1.3) | 0.13 (0.02, 1.004) | |||||
| No | 21/230 (9.1) | 1.00 | |||||||
Unadj OR = Unadjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval); Adj OR = adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval); OHS = Oxford Handicap Scale
aDefined as not continuing to take a medication in the same drug category from discharge to six months, values expressed as number (%)
bIncludes all prescription and non-prescription medications ordered by a physician at time of discharge
cIncludes only community prescription drug costs at time of discharge excluding pharmacist's professional fees