Stroke secondary prevention, a non-surgical and non-pharmacological consensus definition: results of a Delphi study

Maggie Lawrence, Eric Asaba, Elaine Duncan, Marie Elf, Gunilla Eriksson, James Faulkner, Susanne Guidetti, Birgitta Johansson, Christina Kruuse, Danielle Lambrick, Caitlin Longman, Lena von Koch (+2 others)
2019 BMC Research Notes  
Evidence supporting lifestyle modification in vascular risk reduction is limited, drawn largely from primary prevention studies. To advance the evidence base for non-pharmacological and non-surgical stroke secondary prevention (SSP), empirical research is needed, informed by a consensus-derived definition of SSP. To date, no such definition has been published. We used Delphi methods to generate an evidence-based definition of non-pharmacological and non-surgical SSP. The 16 participants were
more » ... bers of INSsPiRE (International Network of Stroke Secondary Prevention Researchers), a multidisciplinary group of trialists, academics and clinicians. The Elicitation stage identified 49 key elements, grouped into 3 overarching domains: Risk factors, Education, and Theory before being subjected to iterative stages of elicitation, ranking, discussion, and anonymous voting. In the Action stage, following an experience-based engagement with key stakeholders, a consensus-derived definition, complementing current pharmacological and surgical SSP pathways, was finalised: Non-pharmacological and non-surgical stroke secondary prevention supports and improves long-term health and well-being in everyday life and reduces the risk of another stroke, by drawing from a spectrum of theoretically informed interventions and educational strategies. Interventions to self-manage modifiable lifestyle risk factors are contextualized and individualized to the capacities, needs, and personally meaningful priorities of individuals with stroke and their families.
doi:10.1186/s13104-019-4857-0 pmid:31870411 fatcat:5e6n3li2d5gbxk3dsc6ik7usr4