Clinicians' self-reported efficacy in cardiovascular prevention practice in the southeastern United States

Abstract

Aim: We assessed self-reported efficacy in cardiovascular prevention practice among internal medicine, family medicine, endocrinology and cardiology clinicians. Patients & methods: We emailed a 21-item questionnaire to 956 physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and pharmacists. Results: 264 clinicians responded (median age: 39 years, 55% women, 47.9% specialists). Most expressed high self-efficacy in lifestyle counselling, prescribing statins, metformin, and aspirin in primary prevention, but low self-efficacy in managing specialized conditions like elevated lipoprotein(a). Compared with specialists, PCPs expressed lower self-efficacy in managing advanced lipid disorders and higher self-efficacy in prescribing sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists. Conclusion: Self-efficacy in cardiovascular prevention varied across specialties. Future research should explore relevant provider, clinic and system level factors to optimize cardiovascular prevention.