title: Quality of secondary cardiovascular prevention in specialised care in the Netherlands: the SOLID study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the extent to which Dutch patients with a history of cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol levels, treated in specialised care, are achieving low-cholesterol targets as defined by national guidelines.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hospital-based cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Practices of 41 hospital-based cardiologists and internists in the Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  7377 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-one percent of the patients with an indication for secondary cardiovascular prevention by lipid-lowering drug treatment were receiving medication and were achieving cholesterol targets, 42% were receiving lipid-lowering medication but had cholesterol levels above target, 11% were not receiving treatment, and 5% had no recent lipid measurements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with previous studies, the SOLID study shows that a relatively large percentage of the Dutch patients under specialised care with a history of cardiovascular disease and an indication for cholesterol-reducing therapy are currently being treated. A considerable proportion of the patients, however, are still not receiving optimal treatment and more than 10% are not being treated at all.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: van Galen
authors.forename: J J C
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Jonker
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vermeer
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Grobbee
keywords: Dutch guidelines; cardiovascular disease; high cholesterol levels