Improving cardiovascular disease management in Australia: NPS MedicineWise

Abstract

NPS MedicineWise programs were effective in achieving positive changes in medicine and health service use for patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Gender inequalities in cardiovascular risk factor assessment and management in primary healthcare

“…This indicates that strategies and incentives are needed at the system level, together with education of physicians and public about this inequality at the individual and social level, to minimise the treatment gap between women and men. For example, academic programmes such as those of NPS MedicineWise can promote better understanding and improved prescribing of medications;25 health quality identification system such as gender-specific quality indicators may be incorporated into quality improvement programmes to support better assessment and treatment of patients and targeted funding model such as specific Medicare Benefits Schedule reimbursement for patients with CVD/high risk of CVD can provide financial incentives for physicians.…”

Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants and atrial fibrillation guidelines in practice: barriers to and strategies for optimal implementation

“…However, although the use of healthcare quality measures has shown improvements in care and adherence to guidelines in some cases, methods for implementing these improvements have varied and the results have not been consistent. 78 – 80 In Japan, the Japanese Stroke Databank is a patient oriented, academically controlled database aimed at establishing rigorous evidence for the quality improvement of stroke care ( ). Physicians register data on their own academic incentive and the databank is endorsed by the representative of stroke patients, providing a successful collaboration between patients and physicians to overcome stroke.…”

Anticholinergic medicines in an older primary care population: a cross-sectional analysis of medicines’ levels of anticholinergic activity and clinical indications

“…The finding may represent relatively aggressive anticoagulant management in older patients in Australia, especially for atrial fibrillation, reflecting national policy. 24 This finding is unlikely to affect the generalizability to other countries of our conclusions regarding the prominence of cardiovascular medicines among anticholinergic medicines as this would persist even with more modest levels of warfarin usage. Also of note was the frequency of prescription of oxycodone in our findings.…”