Practice variation in long-term secondary stroke prevention in The Netherlands.

Background: Stroke guidelines emphasize the importance of adequate vascular risk factor assessment and management in transient ischemic attack (TIA) and ischemic stroke patients, but it is not clear how these guidelines are applied in routine clinical practice. The limited data that are available indicate that TIA and ischemic stroke patients often do not receive the recommended interventions. The aim of this study was to investigate practice variations in long-term secondary stroke prevention in The Netherlands.