New cardiovascular guidelines: Clinical practice evidence for the nurse practitioner

Guidelines for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) have recently changed. Goals of these guidelines have shifted to the promotion of health and control of risk rather than solely on treatment of CVD. This article summarizes the six new cardiovascular screening, prevention, and treatment guidelines for use in practice.

Published and peer-reviewed guidelines published jointly and in collaboration with the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology constitute the evidence base for this article.

The potential for making lifestyle changes a way of life instead of a diet or program is an important point to make in clinical visits. If nurse practitioners (NPs) could promote a way-of-life lifestyle change to individuals in America, even change at a modest level, we could improve the health of the nation.

NPs need to be aware of new guidelines and best practices to improve the cardiovascular health of their patients. We summarized these new guidelines into an easy-to-interpret format for use in practice.