Friends and family may be key to preventing second strokes

NCT ID NCT05963828

Disease control Sponsor: Changhai Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether using social networks (like family and friends) can help people at high risk for stroke stick to their medications and control risk factors after leaving the hospital. Researchers enrolled 720 patients and compared standard care with a social network-based support program. The goal was to see if this approach improves medication adherence and reduces stroke risk.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: social network-based intervention
What this could lead to: If successful, this approach could improve medication adherence and reduce stroke recurrence in high-risk patients.
What could go wrong: This is a completed behavioral study, not a drug trial. Results may not apply to all populations, and self-reported adherence can be unreliable.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

720 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jul 2023

Finished

Apr 2025

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥18 years. * Hospitalized patients at high risk of stroke are those who have at least three of the following risk factors: hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, atrial fibrillation/valvular disease, smoking history, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, or family stroke history; or those with a history of prior transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke.12 * modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≤2. * Smartphone/WeChat access (patient or caregiver). * Informed consent obtained. * Active long-term therapy: ≥1 medication (antihypertensive, hypoglycemic, lipid-lowering, anticoagulant, antiplatelet). Exclusion Criteria: * Inability to operate smartphones (patient or caregiver). * Comorbidities potentially confounding outcome assessments, including Advanced malignancies (life expectancy \<12 months); Documented dementia; Severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, major depressive disorder). * Residence in areas with unreliable internet access. * Concurrent participation in other clinical trials. * Any condition deemed by investigators to preclude safe trial participation.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

brain disorder cardiovascular disorder central nervous system disorder cerebrovascular disorder nervous system disorder stroke disorder vascular disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Brain diseases Cardiovascular diseases Central nervous system diseases Cerebrovascular disorders Nervous system diseases Stroke Vascular diseases

Friends and family may be key to preventing second strokes

What the study statuses mean