Effective Application of Pharmacotherapy Strategy for Hospitalized Ischemic Stroke Patients in Malaysia

Background: Worldwide, cerebrovascular accident (stroke) is the second leading cause of death and is the third leading cause of disability. Sadly, stroke prevalence in the low- and middle-income countries remains high (70%) with both stroke-related deaths and disability-adjusted life years reported to be as high as 87%. Aim: The objective of this study is to evaluate the success of pharmacotherapy management strategy for Malaysian stroke patients in a public hospital based on the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG), 2012.  Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study based on medical records of patients (n=682) with confirmed diagnoses of ischemic stroke admitted to Sungai Buloh Hospital for four years was conducted. Data was collected using self-developed data collection forms consisting of demographic profiles, comorbidity and pharmacotherapy treatment.  Results: The mean age of reported cases was 66.66 years with the majority (58%) being males while only 42% were females. The majority (>72%) adhered to the pharmacotherapy management of Clinical Practice Guideline Malaysia 2012 for ischemic stroke inpatients setting in a public hospital (p=0.001).  Conclusion: Most patients complied to the pharmacotherapy management of ischemic stroke guideline which is important to avoid disability and mortality caused by stroke.