Translating Evidence into Practice: Use of Statins in Real-World Patients with Heart Failure

Heart failure is a common and serious disorder affecting more than 5 million patients in the United States. Although clinical trials have shown that several therapies improve outcomes, translation of evidence into practice is imperfect. This “quality chasm” ultimately leads to lost opportunities for decreasing morbidity and mortality. As more evidence is gathered for statins in heart failure, it will be important to continuously assess implementation of statins in eligible heart failure patients, as well as to identify opportunities for and barriers to improvement. This article reviews the conceptual basis for driving evidence-based medicine by focusing on quality of care for heart failure patients.