Title:Getting Patients to Target- Implementing the Guidelines
VOLUME: 10 ISSUE: 6
Author(s):Pantaleo Giannuzzi
Affiliation:Department of Cardiology, Salvatore Maugeri Foundation – IRCCS, Scientific Institute for Clinical Care and Research, Veruno (NO), Italy.
Keywords:Primary cardiovascular prevention, secondary prevention, cardiac rehabilitation
Abstract:All coronary patients should be advised and have the opportunity to access a comprehensive cardiovascular
prevention and rehabilitation programme, addressing all aspects of lifestyle - smoking cessation, healthy eating and being
physically active - together with more effective management of blood pressure, lipids and glucose. To achieve the clinical
benefits of a multidisciplinary and multifactorial prevention programme we need to integrate professional lifestyle interventions
with effective risk factor management, and evidence based drug therapies, appropriately adapted to the medical,
cultural, and economic setting of a country. The challenge is to engage and motivate cardiologists, physicians and health
professionals to routinely practice high quality preventive cardiology in hospital and community, and a health care system
which invests in prevention.