The evaluation of physician patterns of practice in cardiac patients at two British Columbia tertiary referral hospitals.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the patterns of care in patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome or congestive heart failure.


METHODS
A pilot study - retrospective chart review.


METHODS
Two British Columbia tertiary referral teaching hospitals.


METHODS
One hundred patients admitted with stable angina, acute ischemic syndrome or congestive heart failure at each hospital.


RESULTS
Patient profiles showed that women at both hospitals were significantly older and had significantly longer lengths of stay than men. Patterns of practice were comparable except when it came to lipid testing and lipid-lowering agents being prescribed to patients at the time of discharge. At hospital A, patients were more likely to have a lipid profile performed compared with patients at hospital B.


CONCLUSIONS
The addition of lipid testing to the clinical pathway for patients with myocardial infarction led to more patients at hospital A having a lipid profile performed. The routine assessment of lipid profiles in patients admitted for acute ischemic syndromes led to more aggressive pharmacological treatment with hydroxy-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors - agents that are known to reduce mortality and recurrent infarction. Methods to improve treatment are proposed to help reduce morbidity and/or mortality in patients with ischemic heart disease and congestive heart failure.
Con
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AH
St Paul's Hospital, and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. andrea_con@hotmail.com
Ignaszewski
A
A
Gin
K
K
Barr
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SL
D000368:Aged; D001955:British Columbia; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D019091:Critical Pathways; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
D008055:Lipids