Table 1. Description Independent Variables in the study population (N = 523).
| Study Variables | Central Tendency a, b | Measurement and Coding |
|---|---|---|
| History of Severe Mental Illness: Yes | 19.1% (n = 100) | 1 = Yes or 0 = No |
| History of Substance Abuse: Yes | 19.9% (n = 104) | 1 = Yes or 0 = No |
| History of Acute Depression: Yes | 22.9% (n = 120) | 1 = Yes or 0 = No |
| History of PTSD: Yes | 42.9% (n = 224) | 1 = Yes or 0 = No |
| History of Hypertension: Yes | 84.5% (n = 441) | 1 = Yes or 0 = No |
| History of Diabetes: Yes | 43.1% (n = 225) | 1 = Yes or 0 = No |
| History of PVD: Yes | 14.8% (n = 77) | 1 = Yes or 0 = No |
| Race: Not Caucasian | 56.1% (n = 277) | 1 = Not Caucasian or 0 = Caucasian |
| Age at Stroke: 18–44 years | 5.5% (n = 29) | 1 = 18–44 years |
| 45–64 years | 38.4% (n = 201) | 2 = 45–64 years |
| 65–74 years | 26.6% (n = 139) | 3 = 65–74 years |
| >75 years | 29.5% (n = 154) | 4 = >75 years |
| Marital Status: Married | 41.3% (n = 216) | 1 = married or 0 = Not married |
| Discharge Antithrombotic Therapy: Yes | 91.0% (n = 476) | 1 = Yes or 0 = No |
| Rehabilitation Assessment: Yes | 18.9% (n = 99) | 1 = Yes or 0 = No |
| Lipid Management (Statin): Yes | 44.4% (n = 232) | 1 = Yes or 0 = No |
| Insurance Coverage: Dual | 43.3% (n = 226) | 1 = ≥ Dual Beneficiary or 0 = Only VHA Benefits |
| Income | = $15,811 [0–291,745] | Annual income in dollars for the year 2002 |
| Proximity to Hospital | = 11.9 miles [0–117] | Miles from patient’s residence to VHA Hospital |
| Hospitalization: Pre-Stroke < 1 Year c | = 1.09 admits [0–13 admits] | Any hospital admission in the previous year before initial stroke excluding hospitalizations where the primary ICD-9 discharge diagnosis was a mental health disorder, or substance abuse disorder |
| Length of Stay for Index Stroke | Median = 8 days [1–55 days] | Length of first hospital stay for index stroke measured in days |
a) This column displays either percent (n) or mean [range] of the study population for each variable.
b) Certain processes of care were found to be undetectable using administrative data and are not presented in this chart, including antithrombotic therapy by hospital day 2, t-PA administration, and ambulation by day 2.
c) Pre-stroke < 1year was determined individually for each patient by looking back 365 days from the date of initial stroke.