What the ITACARE-P Light-Heart and Sweet-Heart projects have taught us

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Metabolic Diseases
• Pharmacology

Background:

• ITACARE-P established educational formats (Sweet Heart, Light Heart) for Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation.
• Focus on metabolic pathologies: diabetes mellitus and obesity.
• Cardiologists can prescribe SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2-i) and GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-RA) with cardioprotective and nephroprotective effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To update, compare, and share ideas among experts to standardize behaviors on key topics.
• To examine drug refundability and patient communication challenges for SGLT2-i and GLP-RA therapies.
• To address the management of diabetes mellitus patients in Cardiac Rehabilitation.

Main Methods:

• Educational formats structured with lectures and peer-to-peer discussions.
• Analysis of Italian National Health Service refundability for specific drug classes.
• Exploration of communication strategies for patient adherence, especially for obesity treatments.

Main Results:

• Development and publication of a position paper by the ITACARE-P Scientific Committee.
• The paper focuses on managing diabetes mellitus in Cardiac Rehabilitation.
• Key considerations include exercise prescription, process/outcome indicators, and achieving anti-atherogenic effects.

Conclusions:

• Standardized approaches are needed for managing diabetic patients in cardiac rehabilitation.
• Effective communication and understanding of drug benefits (cardioprotective, nephroprotective) are crucial.
• Integration of pharmacotherapy, exercise, and outcome monitoring is essential for optimal patient care.