J Card Fail. 2022 Apr 21:S1071-9164(22)00489-4. doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2022.03.356. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Health system-level interventions to improve use of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) often fail in the acute care setting. We sought to identify factors associated with high performance in adoption of GDMT among health systems in CONNECT-HF.
METHODS AND RESULTS: Site-level composite quality scores were calculated at discharge and last follow-up. Site performance was defined as the average change in score from baseline to last follow-up and analyzed by performance tertile using a mixed-effects model with baseline performance as a fixed effect and site as a random effect. Among 150 randomized sites, mean 12-month improvement in GDMT was 1.8% (-26.4% to 60.0%). Achievement of ≥50% target dose for angiotensin-converting enzymes/angiotensin receptor blockers/angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors and beta blockers at 12 months was modest, even at the highest performing sites (median 29.6% [23%, 41%] and 41.2% [29%, 50%]). Sites achieving higher GDMT scores had care teams that included social workers and pharmacists and patients able to afford medications and access medication lists in the electronic health record.
CONCLUSIONS: Substantial gaps in site-level use of GDMT were found even among highest performing sites. Failure of hospital-level interventions to improve quality metrics suggests that a team-based approach to care and improved patient access to medications are needed for post-discharge success.
PMID:35462033 | DOI:10.1016/j.cardfail.2022.03.356