The gap between knowledge and practice in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease.

There is a gap between the current knowledge of the treatment of cardiac conditions derived from evidence-based medicine and the widespread application of this knowledge. The use of ACE inhibitors for patients with congestive heart failure, beta blockers in postmyocardial infarction patients, anticoagulation in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation, cholesterol medications for either primary or secondary prevention of coronary artery disease, and antihypertensive treatment, are of proven benefit, yet all are underutilized by cardiologists, as well as other medical practitioners. There is evidence that there are methods to improve the prescribing of medication, but further studies are required to identify the best ways of doing this. A challenge for the future will be to identify and apply the best educational programs to improve the quality and efficiency of medical care. (c) 2000 by CHF, Inc.