A study presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2013 has found that control of heart disease risk factors varies widely among outpatient practices.
Researchers compared electronic health records of 115,737 patients in 18 primary care and cardiology practices participating in The Guideline Advantage™, a collaboration of the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association that aims to reduce risks for chronic diseases. They found:
- The percentage of people whose hypertension was under control (less than 140/90 mm Hg) ranged from 58.7 percent to 75.1 percent.
- The percentage of diabetic patients with cholesterol under control ("bad" low density lipoprotein cholesterol under 100 mg/dL) ranged from 53.8 percent to 100 percent.
- The percentage of patients screened for smoking, and receiving a tobacco cessation intervention, ranged from 53.8 percent to 86.1 percent.
Diet, Lifestyle and Heart Disease
The correlation between diet, lifestyle and heart disease. The importance of balanced diet life style and exercise for controlling heart disease.
Advertisement
"Previously, we've focused on improving the quality of inpatient hospital care and haven't explored enough how to improve outpatient care," said Zubin Eapen, M.D., the study's lead author and an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University in Durham, N.C. "This baseline snapshot lets us see just how much progress could be made in preventing or managing diseases."
"It's eye-opening for practices to see how much better or worse they're doing than their peers on nationally derived measures of quality. They can learn to improve in collaboration with others instead of alone," he said.
Source: Eurekalert
Source: Eurekalert
Congestive Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition in which the heart fails to work adequately as a pump that can deliver oxygen rich blood to the body.
Advertisement
 Lifestyle Paths to Heart DiseaseHeart disease can be of many types depending upon whether they involve the heart muscles or artery walls or heart beats. Bad lifestyle choices contribute to heart disease. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Heart Disease News
Statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs reduced heart attack and stroke risks in two groups at high risk for heart disease.
The number of heart attack fatalities showed a notable increase, declining from 28,579 in 2020 to 28,413 in 2021, then surging to 32,457 in 2022.
Atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rhythm) can be accurately diagnosed with Verily Study Watch, the FDA-approved wrist-worn gadget.
According to health experts, an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and blood clots is associated with higher hemoglobin levels.
Early cardiac evaluation reverses atherosclerosis caused by cardiac risk factors like high BP and high cholesterol in young adults.