Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31015874›Full record

ArticlePharmacy practice

Evaluation of discharge prescriptions for secondary prevention in patients with acute coronary syndromes in Iraq.

Ola A Nassr, Paul Forsyth, Chris F Johnson

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pharmacy practice. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Implementation of clinical audit to improve adherence to guideline-recommended therapy in acute coronary syndrome.The Egyptian heart journal : (EHJ) : official bulletin of the Egyptian Society of Cardiology · 2022
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Ola A NassrDepartment of clinical pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Mustansiriya University. Baghdad, (Iraq). ola.nassr@uomustansiriyah.edu.iq.ORCID 0000-0002-3409-0150
Paul ForsythLead Pharmacist for Clinical Cardiology (Primary Care). NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, West Glasgow Ambulatory Care Hospital. Glasgow, Scotland (United Kingdom). paul.forsyth@nhs.net.ORCID 0000-0003-3804-6795
Chris F JohnsonSpecialist Mental Health and Prescribing Support Pharmacist Primary Care, Pharmacy and Prescribing Support Unit, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, West Glasgow Ambulatory Care Hospital. Glasgow, Scotland (United Kingdom). c.johnson2@nhs.net.ORCID 0000-0002-6006-6605
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde · GBMustansiriyah University · IQ

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOptimal prescribing of secondary prevention medications after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) events has been shown to reduce morbidity and mortality. However, it is unknown whether these medications are optimally prescribed at discharge from acute care in Iraq.

objectiveTo evaluate whether patients with ACS received optimal secondary prevention medications: antiplatelets, statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers (ACEI/ARBs), and beta-blockers at discharge from a cardiology unit, and to assess whether statins, ACEI/ARBs and beta-blockers were prescribed at target doses based on the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) guidelines.

methodsObservational retrospective cross-sectional study of patients with ACS admitted to a hospital in Baghdad and survived to discharge between May 2016 and January 2017. Patient-level data and secondary prevention medications at discharge were extracted from routine medical records. Optimal dosing was defined as ≥75%, moderate dosing as 50-74%, and low dosing as <50% of the target dose.

results45.6% (200/439) of eligible patients were included in the study who were aged 25 to 90 years (mean 57.8 years) with 78.0% (156/200) being male. Of those included, 84.5% had a myocardial infarction and 15.5% unstable angina, and the length of hospital stay ranged from 1 to 29 days (median 4 days). In total, 53.5% of patients were prescribed all five secondary prevention medications at discharge, and after accounting for contraindications, 60.0% were treated according to AHA/ACC guidelines. The prescription rate of dual antiplatelet therapy, statins, ACEI/ARBs and beta-blockers was 92.5%, 94.5%, 69.5% and 87.0% respectively. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus and the prescription of oral nitrates were associated with the prescription of optimal secondary prevention therapy. Although 80.9% of patients were prescribed target doses of antiplatelets and statins, only 12.2% and 9.2% were prescribed target doses of ACEI/ARBs, and beta-blockers respectively.

conclusionsApproximately one in two patients received the recommended secondary prevention therapy. However, only a minority of patients were prescribed optimal doses of ACEI/ARBs and beta-blockers, in line with guidance. Quality improvement strategies should be implemented, which may include greater involvement of pharmacists within the cardiology multidisciplinary team.

Indexed as

Acute Coronary SyndromeAngiotensin-Converting Enzyme InhibitorsAngiotensin Receptor AntagonistsClinical AuditDrug UtilizationGuideline AdherenceIraqProfessional Practice

Identifiers

PMID31015874
PMCPMC6463406
OpenAlexW2920942601

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.