Nurse-led counseling for coronary artery disease patients: A 1-year follow-up study

Abstract

Nurse-led counseling and systematic follow-up have been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk factor levels. The study aims were to investigate if cardiovascular risk factor levels could be reduced in patients with coronary artery disease with a nurse-led intervention and to report patients' evaluations of nurse-led counseling. The study design was a real-life longitudinal follow-up counseling intervention. Data were collected from November 2017 to May 2020. The nurse-led intervention and patients’ follow-up time was 1 year. Of the 78 patients recruited, 74 completed the study. The most significant findings were in the levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides at every follow-up visit compared to their baseline levels and that waist circumference decreased during the 1-year follow-up. Patients assessed the quality of nurse-led counseling to be very good, though it decreased slightly during follow-up. The results suggest the integrated care path and specialized and primary care for coronary artery disease patients need further development. More research is needed on how to strengthen patients’ self-management and what kind of counseling would best promote it.