New ASCVD risk-assessment app assists bedside clinical judgement

CHICAGO — The launch of the National Lipid Association Risk Assessment Tool app based upon the 2015 publication of the National Lipid Association Recommendations for the Patient-Centered Management of Dyslipidemia Part One was introduced here at the association’s annual congress.

The app is available both in the iTunes and Google Play app stores.

The intention of the app is “to teach you little bit of how you can apply this at the bedside to take care of your patients,” said Carl E. Orringer, MD, FNLA, incoming president of NLA and associate professor of medicine at the University of Miami Health System.

Source: National Lipid Association

Orringer said the app can assist clinicians in determining high-risk patients based on patient characteristics, key clinical features, high-risk quantitative risk scoring and key biomarker abnormalities.

As a result of this stepped approach, the app provides the clinician recommended treatments.

“This is more complicated than pressing one screen and getting ‘what do you do.’ On the other hand, we also recommend that you need to think more about of your patient in a statin-benefit group or not,” Orringer said.

“There is more to doing this than just determining if the patient will benefit from a drug. We have a complicated issue here of patient management and we want to make sure we are doing the right things for our patients.” – by Joan-Marie Stiglich, ELS

Reference:

Orringer CE. NLA Recommendations for Patient-Centered Management of Dyslipidemia – Part 1: Implementation, Challenges, New Opportunities. Presented at: National Lipid Association Scientific Sessions; June 11-14, 2015; Chicago.

Disclosure: Orringer is president-elect of the NLA.