Introduction:
The less prominent role of triglycerides in determining cardiovascular risk keeps these lipids from being top-of-mind for practicing clinicians, yet epidemiologic data affirm that hypertriglyceridemia contributes to atherosclerotic disease development and progression. We sought to determine if online continuing medical education (CME) could improve the clinical knowledge and competence of primary care physicians (PCPs) and cardiologists regarding hypertriglyceridemia and the use of omega-3 fatty acids in its treatment.
Methods:
The effects of two educational interventions about advances in hypertriglyceridemia treatment (activity 1) and educating patients about omega-3 fatty acid products (activity 2) were analyzed to determine efficacy of online education presented in the form of online video-based roundtable discussions. The activities launched online in May and June, 2015 respectively, and data were collected through July, 2015. The effects of education were assessed using knowledge- and case-based matched pre-assessment/post-assessments. The effect sizes were calculated with Cohen’s d (> 0.8 is large, 0.8-0.4 is medium, and < 0.4 is small).
Results:
In total, 842 PCPs and 75 cardiologists who completed all pre/post assessment questions in any of the two activities during the study period were included in analyses. Significant overall improvements were seen for PCPs (activity 1: n = 452,
P
<.05, effect d= 0.68; activity 2: n = 390,
P
<.05, effect d= 0.96) and cardiologists (activity 1: n = 35,
P
<.05, effect d= 0.77; activity 2: n = 40,
P
<.05, effect d= 0.9). Compared with baseline, specific areas of improvements include:
• 22% more PCPs and 31% more cardiologists identified weight loss as a nonpharmacological intervention that can effectively lower triglyceride levels for overweight/obese patients with hypertriglyceridemia, (both
P
< .05)
• 35% more PCPs and 32% more cardiologists identified the appropriate dosing of prescription omega-3 fatty acids (both
P
<.05)
• 23% more PCPs (
P
< .05) and 20% more cardiologists (
P
=.068 ) recognized that reducing the risk for pancreatitis is a primary medical objective in patients with severe elevations in triglyceride levels Areas identified as needing additional education include:
• 57% of all physicians remain unaware that omega-3 fatty acids reduce apolipoprotein C3
• 61% of PCPs and 60% of cardiologists did not demonstrate a thorough understanding of the differences between prescription omega-3 fatty acids and omega-3 supplements
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates the success of a targeted educational intervention with two educational components on improving knowledge, competence, and clinical decision-making of PCPs and cardiologists regarding hypertriglyceridemia treatment and the role of omega-3 fatty acid products in its treatment.
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