Cohort profile: Creation of an E-cohort to Address the Evaluation of Population Secondary Prevention Quality and Outcomes Post-Stroke (ESP-QOPS) in Wales

Purpose Secondary prevention of stroke requires effective cardiovascular risk factor (RF) management, including blood pressure control, lipid lowering treatment and antithrombotic therapy to reduce the risk of recurrent stroke. Optimal management of risk factors is challenging in older, frailer people, who also have worse outcomes after a stroke. There is limited evidence evaluating secondary prevention quality and outcomes in frail populations. To understand the trends (and factors associated with inequity) in the provision of RF management we developed the ‘Evaluation of Population Secondary Prevention Quality and Outcomes Post-Stroke (ESP-QOPS) in Wales’ e-cohort. The aims of this project include describing (i) the provision of post-stroke evidence-based risk factor management (ii) trends in frailty and outcomes, and (iii) evaluating the impact of suboptimal risk factor provision on adverse outcomes stratified by frailty status.