Acute coronary syndromes

Transcript

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and one of the leading causes in the UK with over 56,000 deaths recorded to coronary heart disease in 2015 alone. How confident are you currently in helping people with cardiovascular disease in your practice or helping people to manage their treatments? Use this gateway page to update your existing knowledge of acute coronary syndrome, so you can apply your learning in practice to help people to reduce their risk of coronary heart disease as well as helping them to manage their cardiac condition effectively. Acute coronary syndrome is an umbrella term used for unstable angina and myocardial infarction. Resources within this gateway page will help you to understand the causes, symptoms and management of these various conditions. Essentially, this learning will equip you with the knowledge to be able to manage or respond to someone who may present to you in practice with symptoms of acute coronary syndrome. You will be able to explain the main causes of acute coronary syndrome, consider how the different conditions are diagnosed and finally, be able to describe the treatment and management of the condition by working through the resources on this gateway page.

As pharmacy professionals, it will equip you with the latest evidence-based advice and guidance that you’ll be able to utilise as part of your person-centred approach to help people to manage their condition and its treatment. You will be able to actively assist people you see within your practice to reduce the risk of future coronary events or further complications of acute coronary syndrome. 

Why not take the quiz first to identify gaps in your existing knowledge and use the resources on this gateway page to address your learning needs? The information and resources on this gateway page will allow you to plug those knowledge gaps to develop your knowledge of acute coronary syndrome where needed. Consider having another attempt at the quiz when you have completed some of the learning to demonstrate your progress on this topic.

Throughout, reflect on how what you have gained from the learning on this page can be applied to people you see in your current practice. We also want you to enjoy learning and developing your knowledge on acute coronary syndrome.

The aim of this e-course is to develop your knowledge and skills in cardiovascular therapeutics. This will enable you to provide a person-centred approach to support the healthcare of people living with or at higher risk of cardiovascular disease. It is designed for pharmacy professionals working in all areas of practice.

To facilitate your learning, we have structured the course into seven units. Some units are larger than others, but we estimate that you will need to commit an average of three hours of learning for each unit.

• Unit 1 – Introduction to cardiovascular therapeutics
• Unit 2 – Atrial fibrillation
• Unit 3 – Blood pressure
• Unit 4 – Cholesterol
• Unit 5 – Stable angina
• Unit 6 – Acute coronary syndrome
• Unit 7 – Heart failure

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of all aspects of this learning programme, you should be able to:

• describe the anatomy and function of the cardiovascular system
• explain the changes to cardiovascular system anatomy and function occurring in common cardiovascular conditions
• identify opportunities to develop your role and professional networks to deliver holistic and seamless care for people living with or at higher risk of cardiovascular disease
• apply your knowledge of medicines and cardiovascular guidelines to support evidence-based decisions and medicines optimisation for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease
• demonstrate a shared decision making approach to the care of people living with or at higher risk of cardiovascular disease
• create a personal action plan that describes the actions you will take to support people living with or at higher risk of cardiovascular disease

This factsheet covers coronary heart disease in general while offering a description of what acute coronary syndromes are. It goes on to discuss management options and signpost to patient resources.

This e-assessment is linked with the CPPE Fundamentals of cardiovascular therapeutics e-course programme, and assesses you on the learning outcomes in that programme. 

Why should I do this assessment?

This e-assessment completes the learning you began with the CPPE Fundamentals of cardiovascular therapeutics e-course. Access and successful completion will contribute to your own personal development plan, be recorded in your My CPPE record and will enable you to complete a CPD entry on the learning. It may also provide evidence for achieving competencies in the RPS Foundation or Advanced Pharmacy Frameworks. If you are working towards completing a Declaration of Competence for a pharmacy service, successful completion of this assessment will provide evidence of your learning.

Use this tool to calculate a person’s risk of developing a heart attack or stroke over the next ten years.

Acute coronary syndrome (unstable angina and myocardial infarction) is a cardiac cause of chest pain. This section of this NICE clinical knowledge summary (CKS) explores recognition and management of ACS.

This NICE clinical knowledge summary (CKS) topic covers the use of prophylactic treatments, rehabilitation, and modification of risk factors in people who have had a myocardial infarction (MI) and do not have heart failure.

This guideline covers the early and longer-term (rehabilitation) management of acute coronary syndromes. These include ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and unstable angina. The guideline aims to improve survival and quality of life for people who have a heart attack or unstable angina.