Takeaway
- Lipid panels at statin initiation and dose change in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) boost adherence.
- A higher number of lipid panels is tied to higher adherence.
Why this matters
- Cholesterol management guidelines recommend routine lipid panels to track drug effectiveness and adherence.
Key results
- Patients had an average of 1.54 panels.
- With ≥1 lipid panel, 66.0% had ≥80% of days covered vs 61.2% with no panel conducted (P<.0001).
- Association between proportion of days covered and number of panels was significant (P<.001);OR, 1.009 (95% CI, 1.004-1.014).
- With statin initiation, 68.0% who had a panel within 4-12 weeks hit ≥80% of days covered vs 59.3% of those who did not (P<.0001).
- For new users, the association was significant (P<.001); OR, 1.017 (95% CI, 1.001-1.034).
- Being treated by a primary care clinician was linked to decreased adherence.
Study design
- 813,887 US Veterans Affairs (VA) patients with ASCVD; 52,583 were new statin users.
- Funding: Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services, others.
Limitations
- Patients could have had panels outside the VA.
- Adherence based on refill data.
References
References