Cardiovascular Statistics from the Good Practices in Cardiology Program – Data from a Brazilian Tertiary Public Hospital

Background: The Good Practices in Cardiology Program is an initiative created by the Brazilian Society of Cardiology (SBC) to improve the quality of care of cardiovascular disease patients in Brazilian public hospitals. Objectives: To characterize patients admitted to a tertiary public hospital with diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or heart failure (HF) and to evaluate performance indicators in both ACS and HF arms, with a pre-established target of 85% adherence to the SBC recommendations. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study through data collection of patients hospitalized between May 2016 and September 2019. Results: A total of 1,036 patients were included, 273 in the HF arm and 763 in the ACS arm. Mean age was 59.8 ± 12.0 years in the ACS and 57.0 ± 14.1 years in the HF, with a predominance of male patients in both groups. More than half of patients had some primary education and more than 90% reported a monthly income of less than five minimum wages. In ACS, the diagnosis of ACS with ST segment elevation was predominant (66.3%), and 2.9% of patients died. In HF, the most common etiology was Chagas disease (25.8%), and 17.9% died. Analysis of the performance indicators revealed an adherence rate higher than 85% to nine of the 12 indicators. Conclusion: Quality programs are essential for improvement of quality of care. Performance indicators pointed to a good adherence to the SBC guidelines, mainly in the ACS arm.