The From The Heart study: a global survey of patient understanding of cholesterol management and cardiovascular risk, and physician-patient communication

Public perceptions and knowledge of cholesterol management in a multi-ethnic Asian population: A population-based survey

INTRODUCTION

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Hyperlipidemia is one of the important modifiable risk factors for CVDs. Raising public awareness of CVD risks is an important step in reducing CVD burdens. In this study, we aimed to assess public awareness and knowledge of cholesterol and its management in a multiethnic Asian population.

METHODS

We recruited 1000 participants from three major ethnic groups for this nationwide population-based survey. A structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographics, knowledge of cholesterol and cholesterol-lowering medications. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with good knowledge on cholesterol and its management.

RESULTS

Of the participants, 65% thought that high cholesterol produces symptoms and that lifestyle modification would be as effective as medication at lowering cholesterol. Nearly 70% believed that long term statin could lead to kidney or liver damage, and 56% thought that statin was associated with higher risk of cancer. A third saw herbal medicine or supplements as healthier and safer. About 45% believed that statin therapy should not be taken long term and that one could stop taking cholesterol medication when cholesterol is under control. Malays were more likely to have poor knowledge (adjusted OR 0.68; 95% CI 0.47-0.98; P = 0.039) compared to Chinese. Participants with intermediate education were more likely to have good knowledge of cholesterol and its management (adjusted OR 1.67; 95% CI 1.11-2.51; P = 0.013) compared to those with primary education.

CONCLUSION

Public knowledge and awareness of high cholesterol and its management remains poor in Asian multi-ethnic population. Understanding gaps in public knowledge can inform the implementation of health promotion programs to effectively raise awareness of cholesterol and its management.

A patient focused relationship for specialists in laboratory medicine

Technological change is driving individualized healthcare delivery including laboratory medicine. Ensuring patients gain from their empowerment it is essential that they access data that enables them to utilize reliable information. The potential difficulties of comprehension, information retention and imperfect modes of communication can significantly impair utilization of information by patients. Support for understanding and decision-making needs to be clinically competent and integrated within the healthcare team. Specialists in laboratory medicine are well placed to undertake such a role, the issues around this are explored and proposals for better direct engagement with patients made.

The effect of a voucher incentive on a survey response rate in the clinical setting: a quasi-randomized controlled trial

Background

Financial rewards have been shown to be an important motivator to include normal healthy volunteers in trials. Less emphasis has been put on non-healthy volunteers. No previous study has investigated the impact of a voucher incentive for participants in a cross-sectional study in a clinical setting. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of a small voucher incentive on a survey response rate in a clinical setting at the point-of-care in a quasi-randomized controlled trial (q-RCT).

Methods

This was an ancillary study to a survey of patients subsequent to their appointment with a physician investigating physician-patient communication. We randomized participants to receive or not receive a voucher for a coffee (costs: 1 €) enclosed in the survey package. Alternation of groups was performed on a weekly basis. The exact Chi-square test was used to compare response rates between study arms.

Results

In total, 472 participants received the survey package. Among them, 249 participants were quasi-randomized to the voucher arm and 223 to the control group. The total response rate was 46%. The response rates were 48% in the voucher arm and 44% in the control group. The corresponding risk ratio was 1.09 (95% CI: 0.89, 1.32).

Conclusions

A small voucher incentive to increase the response rate in a survey investigating physician-patient communication was unlikely to have an impact. It can be speculated whether the magnitude of the voucher was too low to generate an impact. This should be further investigated in future real-world studies.

A survey of patients' views from eight European countries of interpretive support from Specialists in Laboratory Medicine

BACKGROUND

There is increasing interest in direct patient engagement including receiving their laboratory medicine results. We previously established an appetite for Specialists in Laboratory Medicine to support patients in understanding results. The aim of this study was to establish whether patients agreed with such an approach, determined through surveying views in eight European countries.

METHODS

A standardized five-question survey was administered across eight European countries to a total of 1084 individuals attending medical outpatient clinics, with 100 patients each in Poland, Serbia, Netherlands, Turkey and Czech Republic, 101 in Estonia, 116 in Denmark and 367 in Norway. The responses across countries were compared using the chi-square test (p<0.05).

RESULTS

Patients wanting their results ranged from 50% to 94% (mean 65%) of those responding positively, a mean of 72% wanted additional information with their results; direct receipt was preferred over referral to a website. Specialists in Laboratory Medicine providing such information were acceptable to a mean of 62% of those respondents wishing their results; in countries where payment was possible, there was little interest in making additional payment for such a service.

CONCLUSIONS

A clear proportion of patients are interested in receiving their laboratory medicine results, the majority with explanatory notes; a role for Specialists in Laboratory Medicine is acceptable and raises the potential for direct engagement by such specialists with patients offering a new paradigm for the provision of laboratory medicine activities.

Statins and Nonadherence

Statin nonadherence is a major challenge to optimal management. Patients nonadherent to statin therapy do not receive the expected benefit relative to the degree of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering obtained. This is important because new evidence guidelines recommend statins as the first-line therapy for those in high-risk groups (secondary prevention, patients with diabetes 40-75 years of age, and LDL-C ≥ 190 mg/dL) and in selected primary prevention patients. Statin assignment in the latter group occurs only in those with an estimated ≥7.5% 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk after shared decision making in a clinician–patient risk discussion. However, in numerous studies, statin nonadherence shows little or no benefit in reducing cardiovascular events or mortality compared to placebo, effectively negating the risk reduction expected from statin use and concomitantly increasing the total cost of health care. The causes and solutions for nonadherence are multifactorial and include patient, clinician, and health system factors. We believe that a clinician–patient partnership that facilitates patients’ understanding of the potential for optimal benefit with the least adverse effects is an important first step toward improving adherence. A transtheoretical model of stages of behavior change helps clinicians address many of the common factors limiting adherence to statins. We conclude with a teaching tool emphasizing a structured approach to statin therapy with patient-centered risk discussions.

The association between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goal attainment, physician and patient attitudes and perceptions, and healthcare policy

AIM

Withholding effective treatment is clinically prevalent. The CEntralized Pan-Asian survey on tHE Under-treatment of hypercholeSterolemia (CEPHEUS-PA) indicated suboptimal low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal attainment in Taiwan, which may be attributable to clinical inertia. We herein analyzed the Taiwanese cohort in the CEPHEUS-PA to identify key elements regarding clinical inertia and unsatisfactory LDL-C control.

METHODS

A questionnaire regarding the attitudes and perceptions for each physician and patient was included in the CEPHEUS-PA. Physicians completed the physician questionnaire before enrolling patients, who completed the patient questionnaire before the assessment.

RESULTS

The National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) guideline was used by 81.8% of physicians to establish the individual therapeutic targets; 50.2% of patients failed to take medications persistently. Regarding perceptions to hypercholesterolemia management, 75.9% of physicians were confident of having a sufficient number of patients at cholesterol targets; 80.2% and 65.9% of patients felt satisfied and motivated, respectively, but 46.0% had no strong feeling. The healthcare reimbursement policy used for treatment guidance was a significant determinant for LDL-C goal attainment (OR=0.32, 95% CI: 0.15-0.69, P=0.006) in addition to patient compliance. Low patient involvement indexed by having no strong feeling was associated with poor LDL-C control (OR=0.73, 95% CI: 0.56-0.95, P=0.020).

CONCLUSIONS

The referenced healthcare reimbursement policy, poor patient compliance, and low patient involvement with hypercholesterolemia management were associated with failure of LDL-C control. Our findings highlight the need to overcome those barriers to improve the under-treatment of hypercholesterolemia.

Cardiovascular risk factor assessments and health behaviours in patients using statins compared to a non-treated population

BACKGROUND

The perception of cardiovascular risk factors is believed to be associated with a person's willingness to carry out lifestyle changes as well as their willingness to adhere to prescribed preventive medications. Little is known about whether these perceptions differ between statin users and those not using statins, including how these factors relate to health behaviours.

PURPOSE

The objective was to investigate and compare the perceptions of known modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease in patients using statins with those of a non-treated population. One further objective was to investigate if statin use was associated with favourable health behaviours.

METHOD

Data about health, perception of the importance of cardiovascular risk factors and health behaviours were collected through questionnaires from 829 statin users and 629 non-statin users. Beliefs about risk factors were compared in univariate analyses, and four health behaviours were compared in multivariate regression models.

RESULTS

Statin users had better health behaviours in univariate analyses compared to non-statin users. Statin users rated lifestyle-related risk factors as more important contributors for the development of cardiovascular disease than non-statin users. In a multivariate model, statin use was associated with having better eating habits.

CONCLUSION

People using statins are more concerned about cardiovascular risk factors compared to non-statin users. The behaviour of taking statins seems to be associated with favourable eating habits.

Ulcerative colitis from patients' viewpoint: a review of two Internet surveys

Ulcerative colitis negatively impacts patients' quality of life, but little is known about which aspects of patients' lives are affected, how patients' perceptions compare with patients with other chronic conditions, and how these perceptions compare with those of gastroenterologists. This review discusses two recent Internet surveys: (1) the Ulcerative Colitis: New Observations on Remission Management And Lifestyle (UC:NORMAL) and (2) the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America studies. The surveys revealed that the major impact ulcerative colitis has on patients includes frequent disease manifestations, a substantial psychological burden, and disruption to daily activities. This was more evident in patients with ulcerative colitis than those with migraine, asthma, or rheumatoid arthritis. Physicians' perceptions were considerably different from those of patients, as physicians believed that the disease had a lesser impact on patient quality of life. Furthermore, patients and physicians also identified nonadherence to prescribed medication as a major concern in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Improved communication and education is needed to address nonadherence and poor health related quality of life in patients living with ulcerative colitis. The influence of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses on physicians, nurses, and patients may help improve adherence and long-term disease outcomes, including patients' health related quality of life. The nurse practitioner, working with both patients who have ulcerative colitis and the physicians who care for these patients, is uniquely placed to address these needs.

Structural equation modeling of the proximal-distal continuum of adherence drivers

OBJECTIVES

Nonadherence to prescription medications has been shown to be significantly influenced by three key medication-specific beliefs: patients' perceived need for the prescribed medication, their concerns about the prescribed medication, and perceived medication affordability. Structural equation modeling was used to test the predictors of these three proximal determinants of medication adherence using the proximal-distal continuum of adherence drivers as the organizing conceptual framework.

METHODS

In Spring 2008, survey participants were selected from the Harris Interactive Chronic Illness Panel, an internet-based panel of hundreds of thousands of adults with chronic disease. Respondents were eligible for the survey if they were aged 40 years and older, resided in the US, and reported having at least one of six chronic diseases: asthma, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, osteoporosis, or other cardiovascular disease. A final sample size of 1072 was achieved. The proximal medication beliefs were measured by three multi-item scales: perceived need for medications, perceived medication concerns, and perceived medication affordability. The intermediate sociomedical beliefs and skills included four multi-item scales: perceived disease severity, knowledge about the prescribed medication, perceived immunity to side effects, and perceived value of nutraceuticals. Generic health beliefs and skills consisted of patient engagement in their care, health information-seeking tendencies, internal health locus of control, a single-item measure of self-rated health, and general mental health. Structural equation modeling was used to model proximal-distal continuum of adherence drivers.

RESULTS

The average age was 58 years (range = 40-90 years), and 65% were female and 89% were white. Forty-one percent had at least a four-year college education, and just under half (45%) had an annual income of $50,000 or more. Hypertension and hyperlipidemia were each reported by about a quarter of respondents (24% and 23%, respectively). A smaller percentage of respondents had osteoporosis (17%), diabetes (15%), asthma (13%), or other cardiovascular disease (8%). Three independent variables were significantly associated with the three proximal adherence drivers: perceived disease severity, knowledge about the medication, and perceived value of nutraceuticals. Both perceived immunity to side effects and patient engagement was significantly associated with perceived need for medications and perceived medication concerns.

CONCLUSION

Testing the proximal-distal continuum of adherence drivers shed light on specific areas where adherence dialogue and enhancement should focus. Our results can help to inform the design of future adherence interventions as well as the content of patient education materials and adherence reminder letters. For long-term medication adherence, patients need to autonomously and intrinsically commit to therapy and that, in turn, is more likely to occur if they are both informed (disease and medication knowledge and rationale, disease severity, consequences of nonadherence, and side effects) and motivated (engaged in their care, perceive a need for medication, and believe the benefits outweigh the risks).

Lipid-lowering treatment in hypercholesterolaemic patients: the CEPHEUS Pan-Asian survey

BACKGROUND

Treatment of hypercholesterolaemia in Asia is rarely evaluated on a large scale, and data on treatment outcome are scarce. The Pan-Asian CEPHEUS study aimed to assess low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal attainment among patients on lipid-lowering therapy.

METHODS

This survey was conducted in eight Asian countries. Hypercholesterolaemic patients aged ≥18 years who had been on lipid-lowering treatment for ≥3 months (stable medication for ≥6 weeks) were recruited, and lipid concentrations were measured. Demographic and other clinically relevant information were collected, and the cardiovascular risk of each patient was determined. Definitions and criteria set by the updated 2004 National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines were applied.

RESULTS

In this survey, 501 physicians enrolled 8064 patients, of whom 7281 were included in the final analysis. The mean age was 61.0 years, 44.4% were female, and 85.1% were on statin monotherapy. LDL-C goal attainment was reported in 49.1% of patients overall, including 51.2% of primary and 48.7% of secondary prevention patients, and 36.6% of patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia. The LDL-C goal was attained in 75.4% of moderate risk, 55.4% of high risk, and only 34.9% of very high-risk patients. Goal attainment was directly related to age and inversely related to cardiovascular risk and baseline LDL-C.

CONCLUSION

A large proportion of Asian hypercholesterolaemic patients on lipid-lowering drugs are not at recommended LDL-C levels and remain at risk for cardiovascular disease. Given the proven efficacy of lipid-lowering drugs in the reduction of LDL-C, there is room for further optimization of treatments to maximize benefits and improve outcomes.

Individual patients hold different beliefs to prescription medications to which they persist vs nonpersist and persist vs nonfulfill

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to explore whether adults hold different beliefs about medications to which they persist vs nonpersist and persist vs nonfulfull.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of adults with asthma, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, osteoporosis, or other cardiovascular disease from the Harris Interactive Chronic Illness Panel. A quota was set to obtain a sample of respondents who were persistent to a medication for one disease and nonpersistent or nonfulfilling to a medication for a second, different disease. Respondents completed 32 items yielding five multi-item scales: perceived need for medication (k = 12), side-effect concerns (k = 5), medication-safety concerns (k = 5), perceived disease severity (k = 3), and knowledge about the prescribed medication (k = 7). Respondents completed the 32 items twice - once for their persistent medication and a second time for their nonpersistent or nonfulfilling medication. Paired sample t-tests (bivariate) and generalized estimating equations (GEE) models (multivariate) were used to test the study hypotheses.

RESULTS

Overall, 178 respondents were sampled for being persistent to one medication and nonpersistent to another, while 48 respondents were persistent to one medication and nonfulfilling to a second. For the medication to which an individual patient was persistent vs nonpersistent, there was significantly higher perceived need, fewer side-effect concerns, higher perceived disease severity, and better knowledge about the medication. For the medication to which an individual patient was persistent vs nonfulfilling, there was significantly higher perceived need, fewer side-effect concerns, and better knowledge about the medication.

CONCLUSION

Individual patients hold different beliefs about medications to which they persist vs nonpersist or nonfulfill. Patients exhibit different medication-taking behaviors for different medications because they weigh the perceived risks and benefits for each medication separately. These results suggest that adherence interventions should be tailored to patients' beliefs about specific medications.

Linguistic analysis of in-office dialogue among cardiologists, primary care physicians, and patients with mixed dyslipidemia

An in-office linguistic study was conducted to assess physician-patient discussions of mixed dyslipidemia. Naturally occurring interactions among 12 cardiologists, 12 primary care physicians, and 45 of their patients diagnosed with low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and being treated with prescription niacin extended-release were recorded. The participants were interviewed separately after the visit. The transcripts were analyzed using sociolinguistic techniques. Determined from the time at talk and the number of questions asked, the patients were moderately engaged in the visit conversations; however, most communication was physician-driven. Only 6% of the average visit was dedicated to disease education. Conversations about dyslipidemia were characterized by numerous laboratory values but rarely contained clear benchmarking or goal setting. In the postvisit interviews, the patients demonstrated a lack of understanding about their lipid levels and the next steps they should take. Both "HDL" [high-density lipoprotein] and "good cholesterol" were the most frequently mentioned aspects of dyslipidemia in these conversations; however, most physicians did not contextualize these components such that the patients were able to understand and retain the information after the visit. Although the conversations about treatment with niacin extended-release contained detailed information about how to manage the side effect of flushing, they lacked a clear description of this side effect. Also, missing from the dialogue was a balanced discussion of risks and benefits. Communication gaps were observed in the discussions regarding mixed dyslipidemia and its treatment with niacin extended-release. In conclusion, additional research is warranted to assess the efficacy of communication strategies to educate both physicians and patients about this condition and its treatment.

Dyslipidemia in primary care--prevalence, recognition, treatment and control: data from the German Metabolic and Cardiovascular Risk Project (GEMCAS)

Background

Current guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) define low thresholds for the diagnosis of dyslipidemia using total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) to guide treatment. Although being mainly a prevention tool, its thresholds are difficult to meet in clinical practice, especially primary care.

Methods

In a nationwide study with 1,511 primary care physicians and 35,869 patients we determined the prevalence of dyslipidemia, its recognition, treatment, and control rates. Diagnosis of dyslipidemia was based on TC and LDL-C. Basic descriptive statistics and prevalence rate ratios, as well as 95% confidence intervals were calculated.

Results

Dyslipidemia was highly frequent in primary care (76% overall). 48.6% of male and 39.9% of female patients with dyslipidemia was diagnosed by the physicians. Life style intervention did however control dyslipidemia in about 10% of patients only. A higher proportion (34.1% of male and 26.7% female) was controlled when receiving pharmacotherapy. The chance to be diagnosed and subsequently controlled using pharmacotherapy was higher in male (PRR 1.15; 95%CI 1.12–1.17), in patients with concomitant cardiovascular risk factors, in patients with hypertension (PRR 1.20; 95%CI 1.05–1.37) and cardiovascular disease (PRR 1.46; 95%CI 1.29–1.64), previous myocardial infarction (PRR 1.32; 95%CI 1.19–1.47), and if patients knew to be hypertensive (PRR 1.18; 95%CI 1.04–1.34) or knew about their prior myocardial infarction (PRR 1.17; 95%CI 1.23–1.53).

Conclusion

Thresholds of the ESC seem to be difficult to meet. A simple call for more aggressive treatment or higher patient compliance is apparently not enough to enhance the proportion of controlled patients. A shift towards a multifactorial treatment considering lifestyle interventions and pharmacotherapy to reduce weight and lipids may be the only way in a population where just to be normal is certainly not ideal.