A quality improvement project to improve treatment of severe hypertriglyceridemia in veterans.

BACKGROUND

Severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG) is associated with an increased risk of acute pancreatitis. Prompt recognition and treatment of sHTG is key for prevention of acute pancreatitis and its associated life-threatening complications.

LOCAL PROBLEM: Patients with sHTG at a primary care clinic within the Veterans Affairs Eastern Colorado Health Care System were receiving suboptimal treatment that did not align with evidence-based guidelines.

METHODS

We initiated a quality improvement (QI) project to improve the management of sHTG in an outpatient primary care clinic. Veterans with a triglyceride level between 500 and 1,500 mg/dl were included in the project.

INTERVENTIONS: Project interventions included provider education, patient education, and targeted electronic consultations (e-consults) with treatment recommendations. The primary outcome was to decrease the percentage of patients with triglycerides ≥500 mg/dl by 25%. The secondary outcome was to decrease the mean triglyceride level of the patient population by 15%.

RESULTS

Education on evaluation and treatment of sHTG was given to 100% ( n = 21) of primary care clinicians. Overall, 72.8% (95% CI [62.6-81.6%]) of patients ( n = 67) received appropriate written education materials, and 72.8% (95% CI [62.6-81.6%]) of patients ( n = 67) received a targeted e-consult. The percentage of patients with sHTG decreased by 47%. Average triglyceride level decreased from 651 to 483 mg/dl (25.8% decrease).

CONCLUSION

A multipronged QI project consisting of provider education, patient education, and targeted e-consults resulted in decreased triglyceride levels and improved access to specialist expertise. Clinical implications include decreased prevalence of sHTG and risk of acute pancreatitis among patients in the project.