Goal attainment in patients referred to a telephone-based dyslipidemia program

Changes in low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and rates of LDL-C goal attainment among dyslipidemic patients newly referred to a telephone-based hyperlipidemia disease management program were studied.

The medical records of all patients referred to a hyperlipidemia disease management program between February 2002 and May 2003 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were included in the study if they were between 18 and 80 years of age, were under the continuous care of a physician during the data collection period, had a baseline LDL-C measurement within the year before program enrollment, and had been assigned to a treatment protocol (low- or high-risk primary prevention, secondary prevention, or diabetes). For each patient, the final cholesterol value after six months of enrollment or the first value at goal was used to evaluate response. Subjects were deemed to have reached their goal if an LDL-C value recorded within six months after enrollment corresponded to national guidelines for their assigned protocol.

Of 276 patients enrolled in the program, 205 were eligible for study. Forty-two patients (20.5%) were assigned to the secondary-prevention group, 69 (33.7%) to the diabetes group, 46 (22.4%) to the high-risk primary-prevention group, and 48 (23.4%) to the low-risk primary-prevention group. Overall LDL-C goals were attained by 76.2% of secondary-prevention patients, 56.5% of diabetes patients, 58.7% of high-risk primary-prevention patients, and 81.3% of low-risk primary-prevention patients.

LDL-C goal-attainment rates increased in patients referred to a telephone-based hyperlipidemia management program.