The efficacy of an education-based secondary outpatient prevention programme after acute coronary syndrome hospitalisations and treatment in Poland. The Patient Club initiative

BACKGROUND: Guidelines on cardiovascular prevention from the European Society of Cardiology advocate sustained educational measures to be undertaken by both doctors and nurses to ensure lifestyle changes for patients after acute coronary syndromes (ACS). A planned programme of a series of educational meetings for patients after ACS was initiated in form of the Patient Club. AIM: To assess the efficacy of the Patient Club initiative in terms of increased knowledge on cardiovascular risk factors as well as utilisation of healthy lifestyle in patents who attend the programme. METHODS: Patients in nine cardiology centres in Poland, who were treated for ACS between October and December 2014, were included. A dedicated questionnaire on healthy lifestyle and knowledge on cardiovascular risk factors was filled in by patients at hospital discharge. In January 2015 the same questionnaire was filled in by the same group of patients before their local Patient Club meeting. RESULTS: There were 1273 patients hospitalised for ACS who were invited to join the Patient Club initiative. Of them, 372 (29%) filled in the questionnaire both at discharge and at the Patient Club meeting. The percentage of patients who smoked cigarettes decreased from 14% to 5% (p < 0.001), and the number of those who had at least 30 min of physical activity daily increased from 50% to 58% (p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who attended Patient Club meetings usually four weeks after ACS showed significant benefit in terms of healthy lifestyle changes and more guideline-recommended management of cardiovascular risk factors.