Physicians' Attitudes Toward Guidelines for Stroke: A Survey of Korean Neurologists

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are regarded as an essential guidance tool for practicing physicians. We surveyed physicians in Korea in order to evaluate their attitudes toward the Korean CPGs for stroke. METHODS: We obtained participation agreement for our survey from 27 centers of the 33 most actively contributing to the Korean Stroke Registry. A total of 174 neurologists participated in a questionnaire interview regarding their attitudes toward CPGs for stroke. RESULTS: Of 174 participating neurologists, 65 (37.4%) were stroke neurologists. The average age was 33.6±7.1 and 49 (28.2%) were female. Most of the respondents held positive attitudes and opinions regarding the use of the guidelines, whereas only a small percentage (14.9%) responded negatively. More than 60% of the physicians in the survey reported adherence to the Korean CPGs in dyslipidemia management for the secondary prevention of stroke. CONCLUSIONS: The positive attitudes and opinions toward the guidelines imply that physicians' attitudes should not be regarded as a potential barrier to the implementation of Korean CPGs for stroke practiced by general physicians.