The future of cardiovascular care may be increasingly managed at home and in non-traditional settings, according to Nivee Amin, MD, a member of American College of Cardiology.
That's what led the ACC to create revised guidelines for home-based cardiac care, which it published Sept. 26, according to a news release.
"While interest in and access to home-based care has grown considerably in the last few years, these services often remain underutilized, especially in the case of acute and specialty care," Dr. Amin, who chaired the ACC committee that developed the guide, stated in the release. "However, given the rise of chronic diseases like heart disease and many elderly people's desire to remain in their own homes as they age, it is vital that we look at every possibility for how to appropriately provide care at home."
The new guidelines emphasize what this type of care should look like and includes both the pros and cons of in-home cardiac care, principles for developing an in-home cardiac care plan and benchmarks to measure success of at-home care.
"Many within the health care industry believe that cardiovascular care will be increasingly delivered in non-traditional ambulatory settings," Dr. Amin stated. "The cardiovascular care community must consider and prepare for this eventuality."