The outcome of secondary prevention interventions in a community based interventional Program: Isfahan Healthy Heart program

Healthy Life for Cardiovascular Patients(HLCP), one of the ten projects included in Isfahan Healthy Heart Program, was designed and performed based on high-risk and secondary prevention strategies and aimed to reduce cardiac recurrences, along with the risk factors, morbidity and mortality among cardiovascular patients. In this study we investigate the trend of changes of frequency of coronary patients’ medicine intake, aswell as the results of process evaluation.

Five main strategies were designed to meet the project's goals. These interventions were designed based on education, legislation, and attracting inter-division and public cooperation. Process evaluation was performed in order to determine the project's successfulness. Prior to the project, the morbidity and medicine intake among the patients were also studied. These indices were again measured during the interventions and also after the project were completed.

Amongst all the interventions, educating the patients during the hospitalization period, at the time of release and also post-release educations were successful. Another success of the project in merging secondary prevention programs in the society was to attract public coordination and to establish a Non-Governmental Organization. The results also show an increase in the amount of aspirin, beta blockers, Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors, and statins taken by cardiovascular patients during the project.

The results suggest that secondary prevention and cardiovascular patient care promotion interventions can be performed using available facilities.