The purpose of this project was to develop a practice guideline for screening patients at risk for cardiovascular disease, educate the staff at the site about the guideline, and implement the guideline at a primary care clinic. The intention was to identify and treat patients at risk for cardiovascular disease to prevent occurrence of heart disease. Cardiovascular disease includes hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. Coronary heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the Western world. The local practice problem and focus of this project was underprescribed statin therapy for patients at risk for developing heart disease at a clinic in the southern United States. The practice-focused question that guided this project explored whether an evidence-based clinical guideline that might impact the prescription of statins for the prevention of cardiovascular disease would be approved for implementation in a primary care clinic serving adult and geriatric patients. The appraisal of guidelines for research and evaluation and the Fineout-Overholt model were used to guide this project. Sources of evidence to meet the purpose of this project were obtained from the literature and scholarly articles. The results of the presentation to the expert panel indicated that this clinical practice guideline would be implemented at the project site and would be used by nurse practitioners and physicians. The implications of this project for positive social change might include improved management of patients who are at risk for heart disease and a decrease in premature deaths related to cardiovascular disease.

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