Effectiveness of integrated nurse-physician management in post-PCI coronary heart disease patients: an analysis based on follow-up data

Background Post-PCI patients often require coordinated secondary prevention and education. We evaluated whether an integrated nurse–physician management program improves health behaviors, disease knowledge, angina-related health status, and cardiac function vs. routine care. Methods In a single-center, retrospective, non-randomized cohort, adults after PCI received either an integrated program or routine care. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months and included: Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II), Coronary Artery Disease Education Questionnaire—Short Version (CADE-Q SV), Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ-overall), echocardiographic indices (e.g., LVEF, LVFS), and physiological/biochemical markers (SBP, DBP, BMI, triglycerides, LDL). The primary endpoint was change in SAQ-overall from baseline to 3 months. Linear mixed-effects models with fixed effects for group, time, and group × time and a subject-level random intercept estimated estimated marginal means (EMMs) and the between-group difference-in-change ( ΔΔ ) with 95% CIs. Multiplicity was controlled using Holm adjustment within prespecified outcome families. Per-timepoint Welch's t -tests and within-group paired t-tests served as sensitivity analyses. Results 128 patients were analyzed (64 integrated; 64 routine). At 3 months, the integrated program produced a significantly greater improvement in SAQ-overall vs. routine care ( ΔΔ favoring integrated). HPLP-II and CADE-Q SV also improved more with the integrated program, and echocardiographic indices showed a significant group × time effect consistent with better recovery in the integrated group. Physiological/biochemical markers exhibited mixed patterns: both groups showed within-group reductions in SBP/DBP, triglycerides, and LDL, while BMI decreased modestly and non-significantly in the observation group but reached significance in the control group. Findings were directionally robust in sensitivity analyses. Conclusions Over 3 months post-PCI, integrated nurse–physician management improved patient-reported outcomes and cardiac function beyond routine care, while changes in physiological/biochemical markers were variable. These results support integrating structured nursing-led secondary prevention and education into routine post-PCI management and warrant confirmation in prospective randomized studies.