PATIENT EDUCATION FOR CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE PREVENTION: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Therapeutic Area

CVD Prevention – Primary and Secondary

Background

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the most common manifestation of cardiovascular disease (CVD) related morbidity and mortality. Although billions of dollars have been spent on diagnostic and therapeutic innovations over the last two decades, it remains the number one cause of morbidity and mortality. Guidelines now explicitly recommend doctors to provide educational resources to optimize heart health. In this study, we perform a comprehensive review of the literature involving patient education-based interventions intended to prevent CAD. We hypothesize that media-based education on CAD may improve clinical outcomes compared to more traditional forms of education.

Methods

We conducted a review of the currently published manuscripts dating up to July 2023 using PubMed and Google Scholar. The search phrases used were “Patient Education,” “Educational Intervention,” and “Coronary Artery Disease Prevention”. The results were sorted by title and date. We compiled data from these studies with information about demographics, type of intervention, and results of the interventions. We discuss our major findings from the review as well as the limitations and future studies that may arise because of our findings.

Results

Eight studies were included in the review. The studies consisted of a variety of interventions such as video-based, phone call-based, smartphone-based, or pamphlet-based. Most patient education-based interventions regarding CAD lead to significant changes in behavior, knowledge, or in some cases, significant improvement in clinical outcomes. Overall, this did not depend on the specific type of intervention, nor the specific setting. When comparing the media-based interventions to the more traditional text-based or usual care groups, there was a trend toward more significant improvement in knowledge about CAD as well as improvement in modifiable risk factors such as BMI, blood pressure, or cholesterol.

Conclusions

Patient education is an important and effective means of not only improving patient quality of life, but also clinical outcomes. This review demonstrates that patient education may have significant implications to improve the individual and societal burden of CAD. With advancements in technology and a greater role of digital and social media in society, video-based interventions will be essential to invest in to advance the field of preventive cardiology.