title: Adherence to clinical guidelines in heart failure (HF) outpatients: Impact of an interprofessional HF team on evidence-based medication use.
abstract: Clinical systolic heart failure (HF) guidelines specify recommendations for ACE inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB), and beta blockers according to doses used in clinical trials. However, many HF patients remain suboptimally treated. We sought to determine which provider type, between an interprofessional HF team, non-HF cardiologists, and primary care physicians (PCP), most optimally manages HF medications and doses. A retrospective chart review was performed on adult patients at an academic county hospital with an ejection fraction ≤40% and a diagnosis of HF, seen by a single provider type (HF team, cardiologist, or PCP) at least twice within a 12-month period. Utilization rates of any ACEI/ARB and any beta blocker were robust across provider types, though evidence-based ACEI/ARB and beta blocker were greatest from the HF team. Doses of evidence-based therapies dropped markedly in the non-HF team groups. The percent of patients prescribed optimal doses of an evidence-based ACEI/ARB AND beta blocker was 69%, 33%, and 25% for the HF team, cardiologists and PCPs, respectively (p < 0.0167). Patients followed by the HF team were more frequently prescribed evidence-based medications at optimal doses. This supports using specialized interprofessional HF teams to attain greater adherence to evidence-based recommendations in treating systolic HF.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacy , Aultman Hospital , Canton , OH , USA .
authors.forename: Megan E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Crissinger
authors.affiliation: b Pharmacy Systems, Inc. , Chicago , IL , USA , and.
authors.forename: Katherine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Marchionda
authors.affiliation: c The MetroHealth System , Cleveland , OH , USA.
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Dunlap
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors
keywords: Evaluation; interprofessional care; interprofessional collaboration; team-based practice