Coaching patients with coronary heart disease to achieve the target cholesterol: A method to bridge the gap between evidence-based medicine and the "real world" - Randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Community studies have demonstrated suboptimal achievement of lipid targets in the management of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). An effective strategy is required for the application of evidence-based prevention therapy for CHD. The objective of this study was to test coaching as a technique to assist patients in achieving the target cholesterol level of <4.5 mmol/L. Patients with established CHD (n = 245) underwent a stratified randomization by cardiac procedure (coronary artery bypass graft surgery or percutaneous coronary intervention) to receive either the coaching intervention (n = 121) or usual medical care (n = 124). The primary outcome measure was fasting serum total chol..