The specificity of prescription patterns in secondary stroke prevention

We would like to comment on the important report by Landi and colleagues about the factors associated with a reduced likelihood of receiving secondary stroke prevention treatment1 and present our own data. We have demonstrated that in community-dwelling patients with chronic atrial fibrillation, living alone or in rural areas, history of previous falls, and cognitive and functional impairments are independent factors that result in physicians prescribing aspirin instead of anticoagulants, thus disregarding the common guidelines for stroke prevention.2,3 We have also shown that in some cases it does not mean malpractice.3 In elderly patients, a geriatric assessment including a shrewd evaluation of the psychosocial conditions can guide physicians in the selection of the correct treatment, thus avoiding …