Evidence based pharmacotherapy were collected and analysed from 1,229 participants who were ≥18 years of age, discharged from hospital with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS), with records of medication details in their discharge summary, and participated in CR programs in 2018 and 2019.
Prescriptions of evidence-based pharmacotherapy was assessed using the Australian guideline 2016. Prescriptions of the four recommended classes of medications (antiplatelets, statin, beta blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blocker) was considered optimal evidence-based pharmacotherapy.
Of the 1,229 patients, only 39.7% of patients received optimal prescription. Those patients prescribed evidence-based pharmacotherapy had been admitted to hospital less than those not prescribed with statistically significant difference. It also shows that the likelihood of prescribing recommended medications in women with ACS is lower than their men counterparts.
These findings present prescribers with great opportunity to follow guideline recommendations in clinical practice that can reduce hospital admission of ACS patients before they attend their CR programs.
Thanks to AstraZeneca for sponsoring Dr Lemlem Gebremichael’s postdoctoral fellowship to undertake this work.