A case study from a Sussex Primary Care Group: Improving secondary prevention in coronary heart disease using an educational intervention

An educational intervention was developed to try to raise both data quality standards and those of clinical care in the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. The intervention was used within primary care organisations utilising their own clinical data and with primary care professionals learning from each other. A special tool (MIQUEST) was used to extract the clinical data. Anonymised data were then shared with the whole primary care organisation at six-monthly data quality workshops. Patients needing interventions were identified in individual practices and these practice visits were also used as learning opportunities. At the end of the study there was an increase in the recording of the diagnosis of ischaemic heart disease (IHD). The recording of blood pressure and its control also improved. The number of IHD patients not on aspirin was reduced. Measurement of cholesterol, prescription of statins and the giving of advice to smokers all increased. The increase was largest in the practices with the lowest baseline data. The study concluded that this primary care data quality programme could provide an educational environment within which primary care organisations could improve secondary prevention in coronary heart disease.