Let the Guidelines to Guide the Practice (LEADING)
Good clinical guidelines based on scientific research are needed to treat tough diseases like heart disease. As the world’s population continues to age and be affected by heart disease, it is critical now more than ever that both patients and doctors have the best available knowledge to combat cardiovascular disease.
With consistent management, doctors can help reduce the likelihood of a high-risk patient suffering or dying from a heart attack or stroke.
Medical guidelines help both patients to understand and stick to their treatments. They help doctors make sure that the patients are getting the best treatment and help manage their patient’s recover. Successful treatment is also often achieved by doctors and patients tailoring recovery goals while reducing the risk of further health complications.
The level of lipids, or cholesterol, is an important feature in the management of cardiovascular diseases. Dyslipidemia is a metabolic disorder where the body produces too much or too little cholesterol. This disorder causes more fats to form in the body, while lowering the good cholesterol that the body needs to remain healthy. Without enough good cholesterol cleaning up our blood vessels, more fats will block blood flow to the heart and brain, elevating the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
The LEADING study will measure the awareness and knowledge about the role of dyslipidemia and cholesterol in cardiovascular disease in 1,600 patients and 300 doctors in the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing. The study also examines how doctors are treating patients at high-risk of heart disease, or who may already have dyslipidemia, in conjunction with how involved patients are in adjusting their lifestyles and are following their doctor’s instructions.
Although there is a guideline for treating and managing dyslipidemia, LEADING will also assess how to reform current blood test reporting. It may be more beneficial for patients in the future if there is a single reference for lipid level management. This reference point would be developed as a guideline or benchmark which doctors can use to track the progress of their patient’s treatment.
These guidelines would help ensure that patients are receiving the proper level of treatment, which would mean fewer side effects from drugs, higher adherence to their treatment, and reduced drug costs for the health system and the patient.
By creating a uniform guideline for doctors and patients to follow, the project aims to increase the patient’s knowledge and encourage them to take more control of their health. LEADING will inform patients that each person’s treatment goal is different and reaching their goal will also be unique to each individual.
For doctors, the LEADING study will help physicians master the guidelines for treating and managing dyslipidemia. The prescription rate of patients on lipid-lowering drugs will increase, but will be more appropriate for what the patient needs. Doctors will also be encouraged to have a clear and open treatment plan with their patients, and to help those patients keep track of their progress in the hope that when patients begin to see better results, they will stick to their medications and treatment plan.
Empowering doctors to make better decisions with their patients on how to manage Dyslipidemia will prevent more patients from experiencing a heart attack or stroke in the future. Awareness of proper guidelines and treatment for Dyslipidemia will let patients get on with living their lives, without the burden of heart disease.