Nurses are just as effective at heart attack follow-up as doctors

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-10-07 00:01

New Zealand

Image by Medicalert UK on UnSplash

Specialist nurses are well-equipped to carry out follow-up appointments for heart attack patients post-recovery, according to a new study in the New Zealand Medical Journal. The study, based on more than 5000 New Zealanders who survived a cardiac event between 2010 and 2018, found that those who attended a follow-up appointment with a qualified, well-supported nurse fared just as well as those seen by a cardiologist. The nurse-led clinic model also had shorter wait times, allowing nurses to address patients’ barriers to recovery, lifestyle adjustments, and medication adherence early on, while encouraging engagement with their primary care team.

Media release

From: Pasifika Medical Association Group

Heart attacks impact a large number of people every day and can leave people feeling stressed and anxious in the weeks following discharge from hospital. Cardiac rehabilitation offers support for people as they resume their lives, however, many do not take up this evidenced-based support for a variety of reasons. Most people, however, do attend the outpatient follow up review in traditionally medical clinics. This is the first study to prove that suitably qualified and supported nurses can provide effective and timely outpatient care, as safely as their medical colleagues.

Journal/
conference: New Zealand Medical Journal

Organisation/s: University of Auckland, University of Auckland, Middlemore Hospital

Funder: Mildred Lee received salary support from the Middlemore Cardiac Trust.

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.