Actions for Health Care Leaders

This document is also available in Portable Document Format (PDF - 577K). Learn more about PDFs.

Why should health care leaders promote heart–healthy and stroke–free communities?

Health care leaders can play an important role in protecting the health of the people in their care. This document provides a range of actions you can take to promote heart–healthy and stroke–free communities, which revolve around four central themes:

• Demonstrate leadership.
• Implement policies and incentives to promote heart–healthy behaviors.
• Promote coverage for and use of preventive health services.
• Implement life–saving improvements in health services and medical response.

Demonstrate leadership

• Implement worksite actions to provide a heart–healthy environment for all employees (see "Employers").²
   
• Apply guidelines and make referrals for all heart disease and stroke patients regardless of sex and race or ethnicity.¹
   
• Ensure that health care workers are trained in active listening and cultural sensitivity to optimally care for patients of different cultures and backgrounds.²
   
• Ensure that the laboratory used for cholesterol testing participates in an external proficiency testing program.²
   
• Partner with community agencies to offer heart disease and stroke prevention screenings and educational events for the public and follow–up counseling and education for those at risk.¹

Back to Top

Implement policies and incentives to promote heart–healthy behaviors

• Institute standardized treatment and prevention protocols that are consistent with national evidence–based guidelines to prevent heart disease, stroke, and related risk factors. Examples of these guidelines include National Cholesterol Education Program Guidelines, JNC–7 Guidelines for High Blood Pressure, AHA Guidelines for Primary and Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke, and Clinical Practice Guidelines for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. Track changes in health outcomes and cost.³
   
• Implement the Chronic Care Model in primary care settings and track changes in cardiovascular health indicators. (For more information on this model, visit http://www.improvingchroniccare.org*.)²
   
• Provide routine screening and follow–up counseling and education to patients to help prevent and control cardiovascular disease risk factors.³ These risk factors include
  * High blood pressure.
  * High blood cholesterol.
  * Poor nutrition.
  * Physical inactivity.
  * Tobacco use.
  * Diabetes.
  * Obesity.

Back to Top

Promote coverage for and use of preventive health services

• Institute an electronic medical records system and patient data registries to provide immediate feedback on a patient's condition and compliance with the treatment regimen.²
   
• Institute reminder systems to prompt the physicians of patients with risk factors for heart disease and stroke (including high blood pressure,² high blood cholesterol,² obesity,² and tobacco use³) to prescribe preventive medication, closely monitor these patients, and encourage them to comply with their treatment and prevention regimen.
   
• Provide incentives and other support mechanisms to encourage patients and providers to comply with recommended guidelines for preventing heart disease and stroke.²

Back to Top

Implement life–saving improvements in health services and medical response

• Institute clinical information systems to reinforce guidelines (e.g., Get with the Guidelines, Guidelines Applied in Practice) in your hospital setting and track changes in health outcomes and cost.²
   
• Review your health care system's capabilities for treating acute cardiac and stroke patients, including how effectively your wireless enhanced 9–1–1 and EMS providers identify an acute cardiovascular emergency and activate the system.²
   
• Encourage your hospitals to ensure that your health care providers are up–to–date on the latest emergency heart disease and stroke training and treatment guidelines. Consider seeking recognition of your facilities' stroke care capabilities from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).¹
   
• Ensure that stroke survivors are screened for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, atrial fibrillation, and other risk factors; counseled about ways to reduce their risk factors; and referred to a stroke rehabilitation program before they are discharged from the hospital. Provide stroke recovery education to patients and their caregivers before discharge.²
   
• Ensure that heart attack survivors are screened for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, atrial fibrillation, and other risk factors; prescribed ACE inhibitors and beta blockers; prescribed lipid–lowering medication if LDL cholesterol exceeds ATP III recommendations; counseled about ways to reduce risk factors; and referred to cardiac rehabilitation before they are discharged from the hospital.²
   
• Use clinical care teams to deliver quality patient care to prevent heart disease and stroke.²

Back to Top

To view some examples of policies that promote heart–healthy and stroke–free communities, click HERE.

 
*Links to non–Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.
 

Date last reviewed: 05/12/2006
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion