ArticlePhysician Knowledge Levels and Barriers to Coronary Risk Prevention in Women: Survey Results from the Women and Heart Disease Physician Education Initiative
Section snippets
Survey Instrument
The Physician Education Initiative Survey was designed to capture the most salient features of clinical practice guidelines in preventive cardiovascular care available at the time of our educational program (Executive summary of the clinical guidelines on the identification 1867, Expert Panel on Detection 2001, The sixth report of the Joint National Committee on prevention 1997). The surveys were distributed before each presentation began and efforts were made to collect them within 5 minutes
Results
The 529 internists and OB/GYNs completing the survey had a mean age of 40.3 years (standard deviation [SD] = 12.3). The majority of physicians who specialized in internal medicine (71.4%) practiced in the New York City metropolitan area (73.7%). Respondents preferred patient handouts or pamphlets as a method for enhancing heart disease prevention knowledge among their women patients (79%). There were significant demographic differences between the specialties: OB/GYNs were older, more likely to
Discussion
Based on these survey results, many internists and OB/GYNs in New York state who attended our CHD prevention program had limited knowledge of practice guidelines for optimal lipid levels, underestimated the impact of tobacco use as a risk factor for CHD in young women, and needed to improve their counseling and referral services for tobacco cessation. Furthermore, up to one third of these physicians did not know that nicotine replacement therapy for tobacco cessation may be used during
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Governor George E. Pataki and the New York State Department of Health, Commissioner, Antonia C. Novello, MD, MPH, DrPH, for funding the Women and Heart Disease: Physician Education Initiative and the staff from New York State Chapters of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Donna Williams, Deborah Elliott, and Christine Rutan) and American College of Physicians (Linda Lambert and Meg McCarthy) who worked tirelessly to implement this project. We would also like to
Dr. Barnhart is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Population Health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her research interests includes health disparities and cardiovascular disease as well as the risk perception of heart disease among women and minorities.
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Dr. Barnhart is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Population Health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her research interests includes health disparities and cardiovascular disease as well as the risk perception of heart disease among women and minorities.
Dr. Lewis is the Associate Dean for Faculty Development for Women and Diversity at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. She has a longstanding interest in the treatment of postmenopausal women from the perspectives of a clinician as well as researcher.
Dr. Houghton is a Professor of Medicine and Academic Director of Interventional Cardiology at Albany Medical College. She is the Director of Women’s Healthy Heart Initiative (WHHIN) at Albany Medical College.
Dr. Charney is a the Internal Medicine Residency Program Director at Norwalk Hospital. Her interests include the impact of sex, age, and ethnicity on cardiovascular disease and its management.
Funded by the New York State (NYS) Department of Health, Albany, New York.