An audit of discharge medication for secondary prophylaxis post-myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Prophylactic pharmacotherapy post-myocardial infarction (post-MI) has been shown to reduce the risk of subsequent non-fatal infarction and to reduce overall mortality. The present study aimed to review the therapy of such patients in a teaching hospital.

METHOD

Medicines prescribed to 77 post-MI patients for secondary prophylaxis were reviewed. The drugs prescribed by a cardiologist-led team were compared with those prescribed by a general medical team. Seventeen patients died before discharge, leaving a study cohort of 60 patients to complete the audit.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine of the 60 patients (65%) met the discharge standard, and there was no significant difference in adherence to the audit standard when the consultant cardiologist and the general medical consultant were compared. The audit highlighted the therapeutic dilemma concerning the appropriateness of initiating low-dose aspirin in patients already receiving warfarin therapy.

CONCLUSION

The audit has enabled us to develop guidelines which feed into the multi-disciplinary cardiac rehabilitation programme, helping to improve prescribing adherence to the discharge standard. A follow-up audit is planned.