Evaluation of Interventions to Improve Adherence to Lipid Screening Guidelines in Pediatric Cardiology Practice

The current study aimed to assess the impact of patient education, physician counseling, and point-of-care (POC) testing on enhancing adherence to national lipid screening guidelines in a pediatric cardiology practice from 2017 to 2023.

A survey was conducted among regional primary care providers to understand lipid screening practices. Key factors influencing adherence were identified and categorized into three groups: physician, patient, and system. Pediatric cardiologists implemented lipid screening during routine visits, providing families with cardiovascular education materials and conducting lab tests. System improvements included educational posters, a clinical intake protocol, physician counseling, integration into electronic health records, and POC testing. The effectiveness of these interventions was tracked using run charts and statistical process control charts.

The results showed:

• The survey had a 32% response rate, with 97% of respondents supporting routine lipid screening by pediatric cardiologists. 
• Initially, the lipid screening rate in pediatric cardiology was 0%, which rose to 7% with patient education and further increased to 61% following system redesign and POC testing.
• Screening rates were consistent across different age groups.
• A significant majority of patients (91.7%) were screened using POC testing compared to only 8.3% via phlebotomy, with no significant difference in lipid abnormalities detected by screening method.

Thus, the study concluded that the combination of patient education, physician counseling, and POC testing significantly enhance adherence to national lipid screening guidelines, suggesting a potential model for implementation in primary care settings.

Source: Flyer JN, et al. Improvement Science Increases Routine Lipid Screening in General Pediatric Cardiology. The Journal of Pediatrics.2024;273(114118).