Medication Adherence among Stroke Survivors within a Poststroke Period of Three Months to One Year

Strict compliance with medication is integral to secondary stroke prevention. This study was undertaken to fi nd out medication adherence among stroke survivors and factors associated with it. Cross sectional survey among stroke survivors was conducted. Interview based self-reported medication adherence was defi ned as consumption at least more than 80 percent of their medications for last two weeks, based on last prescription. Structured interview using pre-tested interview schedule was done to collect other data; stroke survivors (mean age 58.64 ±10.96 years; 25.4% females) with a mean post-stroke period of 6.65±3.36 months participated. Overall medication adherence was 43.8 percent (n=105). Medication adherence was 34.4 percent (n=134), 52.6 percent (n=190) and 56.7 percent (n=224) for antidiabetics, antihypertensives and statins respectively. People less than 45 years of age, urban residents and those with physical and neurological defi cits were more adherent to medications. Periodic reminders, fi nancial support to buy medicines and patient education can enhance medication adherence to prevent future strokes.