An evaluation of the best practices and barriers for the Nagasaki acute myocardial infarction secondary prevention clinical pathway.

Aims: The Nagasaki Acute Myocardial Infarction Secondary Prevention Clinical Pathway (NASP), a guideline-based regional clinical pathway, was developed to manage low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the Nagasaki prefecture in Japan. This study aimed to summarize the perceived best practices and barriers for the dissemination and operation of the NASP.

Methods: This exploratory sequential mixed methods study was developed around the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework. Focus group interviews were conducted with 24 physicians with experience treating AMI in alignment with the NASP at foundation hospitals. The identified themes and insights were integrated into the development of the questionnaire. The web-based, self-administered questionnaire with a cross-sectional study design was given to 62 physicians in the Nagasaki prefecture. Mixed-method data integration of the results from both study phases was conducted through meta-inferences made from the qualitative and quantitative data.

Results: The best practices included the development of multi-disciplinary operation teams at medical facilities in preparation for the implementation of the NASP, the simplification of the document preparation process, and the establishment of an additional medical fees policy for the utilization of the NASP instead of patient referral documents. Practices tailored to the type of medical institute such as instructing patients on the NASP regimen during index hospitalization for acute-care hospitals, and the development of NASP instructions and manuals for primary care hospitals/outpatient clinics were also recommended. In addition, barriers to the implementation of the NASP such as missed eligible AMI patients for the NASP and the inconsistent implementation to eligible AMI patients were identified.

Conclusions: This study identified the perceived best practices and barriers for the NASP. This knowledge should be considered when expanding the NASP to other institutions across Japan.