A comparison study of the utilization of National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines by cardiology and internal medicine practices: implications for the advanced practice nurse.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether patients with hypercholesterolemia were being treated according to the updated 2001 National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) clinical guidelines and whether a difference existed between internists and cardiologists in the implementation of these guidelines.


METHODS
This retrospective study used data obtained from a review of 200 patient charts that were compared with the NCEP guidelines.


CONCLUSIONS
Results indicated that 67% of internal medicine patients and 71% of cardiology patients who qualified for pharmaceutical treatment received prescriptions for cholesterol-lowering medications. The difference between internal medicine and cardiology physicians was not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Like physicians, nurse practitioners should become familiar with and utilize the updated guidelines as standards of practice to promote and improve patient outcomes over the life span.
San Jose State University, California, USA. Lnurse77@hotmail.com
Lopa
L
Patel
Katherine
K
Abriam-Yago
Elizabeth Ann
EA
Harkins
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002309:Cardiology / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000458:organization & administration; D024802:Nurse's Role; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000592:standards; D018579:Patient Selection; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000592:standards