Cardiovascular Statistics from the Good Practices in Cardiology Program - Data from a Brazilian Tertiary Public...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• The Brazilian Society of Cardiology (SBC) developed the Good Practices in Cardiology Program to enhance cardiovascular disease patient care in public hospitals.
• This initiative aims to standardize and improve the quality of treatment for patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or heart failure (HF) at a tertiary public hospital.
• To evaluate performance indicators for ACS and HF care against a benchmark of 85% adherence to SBC recommendations.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted.
• Data were collected from patients hospitalized between May 2016 and September 2019.

Main Results:

• 1,036 patients were analyzed (763 ACS, 273 HF), with a predominance of male patients and lower socioeconomic status.
• ST-elevation ACS was most common (66.3%); Chagas disease was the leading cause of HF (25.8%).
• Adherence to SBC guidelines exceeded 85% for nine out of 12 performance indicators, particularly in the ACS cohort.

Conclusions:

• Quality improvement programs are crucial for enhancing patient care.
• The study demonstrated good adherence to SBC guidelines, especially for acute coronary syndrome patients, indicating program effectiveness.