Using "get with the guidelines" to improve cardiovascular secondary prevention

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Clinical Guidelines

Background:

• The "Get With The Guidelines" (GWTG) program was initiated by the American Heart Association (AHA) to address disparities in secondary prevention for cardiovascular disease patients.
• It aimed to reduce the gap between recommended guidelines and actual clinical practice in hospitalized patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot a program that improves the application of secondary prevention guidelines in cardiovascular disease patients.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of collaborative learning and technology solutions in enhancing guideline adherence.

Main Methods:

• Development of an interactive, web-based patient management tool (PMT) incorporating quality measures from AHA/American College of Cardiology guidelines.
• Implementation of collaborative learning sessions and monthly conference calls involving multidisciplinary teams from 24 hospitals.
• Utilizing the PMT for data entry, reminders, guideline summaries, and online performance reporting, including benchmarking against other hospitals.

Main Results:

• Data collection and system changes were facilitated for 1,738 patients across 24 participating hospitals during the 2000-2001 pilot.
• Best-practice sharing and collaborative multidisciplinary team meetings were key components supporting the program.
• The program demonstrated a successful model for improving guideline application through a combination of education and technology.

Conclusions:

• The GWTG program provides a scalable template for improving cardiovascular care, adaptable to multiple regions without further development.
• The pilot's success led to the American Heart Association adopting GWTG as a national program.
• The program's structure, combining learning sessions, best-practice sharing, and data-driven feedback, is effective for quality improvement in cardiovascular medicine.