Evidence mapPaperPMID 40991187Full record

SynthesisIrish journal of medical science2025

Interventions to improve adherence to clinical practice guidelines when treating cardiovascular disease: a systematic review.

Sarah McErlean, Louise McCollum, Mark Ledwidge, John Broughan, Geoff McCombe, Walter Cullen, Joe Gallagher

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Irish journal of medical science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

7 authors.

Sarah McErleanDepartment of General Practice, UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. Sarah.mcerlean@ucd.ie.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1748-4593
Louise McCollumSchool of Medicine, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Mark LedwidgeSchool of Medicine, UCD, Dublin 4, Ireland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7391-2949
John BroughanDepartment of General Practice, UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5084-8507
Geoff McCombeDepartment of General Practice, UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4898-3459
Walter CullenDepartment of General Practice, UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1838-5052
Joe GallagherDepartment of General Practice, UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5564-2890

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundClinical practice guidelines have the potential to improve healthcare quality and safety in those with cardiovascular disease. However, guideline adherence is a challenge worldwide.

aimsWe aim to determine the types and effects of interventions that target healthcare professionals to improve adherence to cardiovascular disease treatment guidelines-specifically for atrial fibrillation, ischaemic heart disease, heart failure, dyslipidaemia, and/or hypertension in ambulatory care.

methodsThe following databases were searched from January 2012 to September 2023: MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE,Cochrane, PsycINFO, ERIC International, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, clinicatrial.gov, and EUtrials. The search was supplemented by reviewing the reference lists of included studies, cited articles, and systematic reviews published in the field. Randomised trials, including cluster randomised trials and cross-over designs, were included. Two investigators independently extracted data and assessed study quality.

resultsForty-six studies examining the impact of healthcare-targeted interventions on improving guideline adherence were identified. Various approaches were employed, with educational interventions being the most frequently used. Given the heterogeneity in types of intervention and outcomes reported in the included trials, a narrative synthesis of the data was difficult, and meta-analysis was not planned.

conclusionsThis review demonstrates that a diverse range of interventions aimed at healthcare professionals have the potential to improve adherence to CVD guidelines, but their overall effectiveness remains mixed. To narrow the gap between best practice and real-world guideline application, effective implementation strategies must become as important as guideline development itself.

Indexed as

Cardiovascular DiseasesGuideline AdherencePractice Guidelines as TopicHumansAmbulatory careCardiovascular diseaseGuideline adherenceImplementation scienceQuality improvement

Identifiers

PMID40991187
PMCPMC12769678

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.