Pharmacist-led Care in Collaboration with a Cardiovascular Team to Improve the Management of Atherosclerotic Heart Disease Risk in Hospitalized Patients

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, with approximately 17.5 million people dying yearly. Of which, about 85% are due to heart attack and stroke. In high-risk patients, lipid-lowering, blood pressure-lowering, and smoking cessation interventions have shown to lower primary and secondary risk, while antiplatelet therapy can reduce secondary risk of CVD events. Literature shows that appropriate prescribing and management of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors remains suboptimal, despite the established benefits. Pharmacists are essential pharmacotherapy experts in improving quality of care through medication optimization. A significant body of literature has proven the benefits of pharmacists within a multidisciplinary team in various disease states. This study aims to evaluate the impact of pharmacist-led care by identifying and managing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk in hospitalized patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: This is a single-center bi-phasic electronic health record review conducted at a community hospital over a 4-month period. Adult, non-pregnant, hospitalized patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) during current hospitalization or those undergoing elective cardiac catheterization were included. Patients were excluded if they had type II myocardial infarction or if discharged within 12 hours of cardiac catheterization procedure. The primary outcomes include the proportion of patients who had medication therapy optimized through an established clinical care pathway, and the total number as well as type of pharmacy interventions made and accepted. Secondary outcomes include hospital length of stay and 30-day hospital re-admission. Results: In progress. Conclusion: The results will be discussed. Clinical Implications: This study will provide valuable insight regarding the role of a pharmacist in the implementation of clinical care pathways to identify opportunities for the management of ASCVD risk in hospitalized patients after an ACS event and/or elective cardiac catheterization