Key result
Prescription rates for secondary prevention drugs in the first year after AMI were suboptimal (e.g., beta-blockers 35.1%, statins 52.8%) but showed continuous improvement from 2001 to 2005.
Why the study?
What are the prescription rates and long-term utilization patterns of secondary prevention drugs after acute myocardial infarction in Italian primary care?
Cohort (n=4,764)
Yes
What are the prescription rates and long-term utilization patterns of secondary prevention drugs after acute myocardial infarction in Italian primary care?
Despite improvements from 2001 to 2006, the prescription and long-term continuation of guideline-recommended secondary prevention therapies after AMI remain suboptimal in Italian primary care.
Suboptimal post-AMI prescribing persists in Italian primary care; leaves open whether targeted interventions improve long-term adherence.
BACKGROUND: Pharmacological preventive therapy after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is strictly recommended because of its great efficacy. Little is known about long-term utilization of drugs related to cardiovascular secondary prevention in everyday practice. DESIGN: A population-based cohort study on the basis of an Italian general practice database. METHODS: Searching a large primary-care Italian database (Health Search), we selected five cohorts of patients with first occurrence of AMI from 2001 to 2005, respectively, and analyzed prescriptions of antithrombotic agents, beta-blockers, statins and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) from 2001 to 2006 (follow-up ranging from 1 to 5 years). RESULTS: We identified 4764 patients (mean age 67; 35% female) discharged from hospital after first-ever AMI. The prescription rate in the first year after AMI was suboptimal (beta-blockers 35.1%, aspirin or warfarin 75.0%, ACE-inhibitors or ARBs 61.6%, statins 52.8%) but showed a continuous improvement from 2001 to 2005. The prescription rate decreased slightly during the follow-up, but showed a complex pattern with a variable but significant number of patients discontinuing or resuming the therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The prescription of recommended drugs after AMI has increased from 2001 to 2006 in Italy, but the prescription rate remains largely unsatisfactory. Therapeutic continuity is also suboptimal.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Filippi et al. (2009) conducted a cohort in acute myocardial infarction (n=4,764). Secondary prevention drugs (antithrombotics, beta-blockers, statins, ACE inhibitors/ARBs) was evaluated on Prescription rate in the first year after AMI. Prescription rates for secondary prevention drugs in the first year after AMI were suboptimal (e.g., beta-blockers 35.1%, statins 52.8%) but showed continuous improvement from 2001 to 2005.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: