FPs Report Practice Patterns for Hyperlipidemia
By News Staff
2/22/2006
In April 2001, the National Cholesterol Education Program developed consensus guidelines for treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults and released the third report of the Adult Treatment Panel. The ATP III guidelines form the basis for this study by family physicians from Brown University, Pawtucket, R.I.; the University of Wisconsin, Madison; and the University of Chicago, and by staff members from the AAFP National Research Network.
The authors received usable surveys from 641 AAFP members (a 56 percent response rate) and used the information to assess adherence in 2003 to the 2001 ATP III guidelines. Among the results:
- 92 percent of respondents said they usually or always assessed patients for cardiovascular disease risk factors using a history and a lipid profile, however, only 11 percent reported using a team approach;
- 17 percent of respondents said they usually or always used a coronary heart disease risk calculator; and
- 36 percent said they usually or always used a system-based approach, such as a flow sheet.
Many other aspects of the NCEP ATP III guidelines -- such as using a systematic, multidisciplinary approach; using non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol as a secondary goal for patients; using a coronary heart disease risk calculator to guide cholesterol management; and using combination therapy for patients not at their LDL goals -- "have not yet penetrated self-reported clinical practice," say the authors. "This insight may be helpful in designing quality improvement projects aimed at improving optimal cholesterol management in primary care."
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