Follow-up care compliance among patients diagnosed with unruptured intracranial aneurysms.
J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis
; 33(8): 107786, 2024 Aug.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38782166
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
Periodic imaging follow-up for patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA) is crucial, as studies indicate higher rupture risk with aneurysm growth. However, few studies address patient adherence to follow-up recommendations. This study aims to identify compliance rates and factors influencing follow-up adherence.METHODS:
Patients with a UIA were identified from our institution's database from 2011-2021. Follow-up imaging (CT/MR Angiogram) was advised at specific intervals. Patients were categorized into compliant and non-compliant groups based on first-year compliance. Factors contributing to compliance were assessed through multivariate logistic regression. Phone interviews were conducted with non-compliant patients to understand reasons for non-adherence.RESULTS:
Among 923 UIA diagnosed patients, 337 were randomly selected for analysis. The median follow-up period was 1.4 years, with a 42% first-year compliance rate. The mean aneurysm size was 3.3 mm. Five patients had a rupture during follow-up, of which 4 died. Compared with patients consulting specialists at the initial diagnosis, those seen by non-specialists exhibited lower compliance (OR 0.25, p < 0.001). Loss to follow-up was greatest during transition from emergency service to specialist appointments. Patients who spoke languages other than English exhibited poorer compliance than those speaking English (OR 0.20, p = 0.01).CONCLUSIONS:
Significant amounts of UIA patients at low rupture risk were lost to follow-up before seeing UIA specialists. Main non-compliance factors include inadequate comprehension of follow-up instructions, poor care transfer from non-specialists to specialist, and insurance barriers.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Intracranial Aneurysm
/
Databases, Factual
/
Patient Compliance
/
Aneurysm, Ruptured
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis
Journal subject:
ANGIOLOGIA
/
CEREBRO
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Country of publication: