Guideline-based discharge therapy for unstable pectoris/non-ST elevation myocardial infarction

The recommendations outlined above are evidence-based and guideline recommended. Despite this, quantification of how well we do our outpatient follow-up is not so easy to accomplish. I have found it useful to keep a simple chart in our outpatient facility to remind me, the nurses, fellows-in-training, and physicians' assistants to pay attention to medications and recommendations for these patients. It's a simple A-through-E chart. A = Aspirin and ACE inhibitors (ARBs) B = Beta blockers and blood pressure C = Cholesterol, cigarettes, lopidogrel D = Diet for weight control and diabetes E = Education and exercise I believe that guidelines are useful to help make clinical judgments and thus improve the quality of patient care.5 However, the astute clinician will recognize that standardizing care may not be appropriate in every patient because of the heterogeneous nature of the patients being treated. In addition, guidelines are not static documents, and they must be continuously updated as new information evolves. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.