PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Bruce Willoughby AU - Richard Thomson AU - Rakesh Chopra TI - Validation of a method to establish practice-based stroke and TIA registers. DP - 2004 Feb 01 TA - British Journal of General Practice PG - 127--129 VI - 54 IP - 499 4099 - http://bjgp.org/content/54/499/127.short 4100 - http://bjgp.org/content/54/499/127.full SO - Br J Gen Pract2004 Feb 01; 54 AB - This study compares two methods to establish stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) practice-based registers, which are of particular relevance to practices with limited diagnostic coding. Both arms involved a notes review of all patients taking antiplatelets or anticoagulants, and, either a further notes review of all patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) or diabetes (extensive arm), or asking about a history of stroke or TIA during IHD or diabetic clinics (pragmatic arm). The extensive arm involved searching 11% of the practice notes, whereas the pragmatic arm only involved 3% and had almost as high a yield. This study suggests that the pragmatic method could be used to help build practice-based stroke and TIA registers.