Background: Despite evidence on poor adherence to guideline-directed statin therapy (GDST) following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), little information has been published on pharmacist-led statin pilot programs for secondary prevention.
Objective: We sought to evaluate the impact of a pharmacist intervention (PI) on GDST during an ACS hospitalization.
Methods: A historical control (HC) group consisting of 125 ACS hospitalizations was retrospectively identified, with prospective data of 113 patients captured over 6 months in the PI group. The primary outcome of GDST was defined according to 2013 clinical guidelines and evaluated in all 238 qualifying patients. Secondary outcomes included number of interventions and use of logistic regression to investigate the relationship of ACS subtype with statin dose.
Results: On admission, GDST was ordered in 62.5% of the HC and 75.9% of the PI group. At discharge, the PI group had a higher rate of GDST relative to HC among all patients (86.7 % vs 77.4%, P = 0.06), and after exclusion of contraindications (84.8% vs 74.5%; P = 0.1), 10 patients required PI, accounting for an increase in GDST of 5.3%. Statin dose selection did not differ by ACS subtype (odds ratio = 0.79; 95% CI = 0.0.29-2.17; P = 0.18).
Conclusion: PI did not significantly increase GDST. Increased compliance rates measured were primarily driven by higher baseline adherence and guideline incorporation over time.
Keywords: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors; acute coronary syndrome; secondary prevention.