AIMS: The adherence to the guidelines for pharmacotherapy of @entity712 ( @entity712 )- @entity1 improves prognosis. Although general practitioners (GPs) treat the majority of @entity712 - @entity1 , information about GPs' current guideline adherence and their typical prescription rationales is sparse. METHODS AND RESULTS: A three-stage study design was employed. In Stage I, 206 @entity1 records from 15 randomly chosen GP practices were analysed; 76  % of @entity1 were prescribed ACE-inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEIs/ARBs), 73  % beta blocker (BBs), but only 18  % mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs). ACEI doses were at 62  % of the guideline recommended target doses, BBs at 46  %, while MRAs were sufficiently highly dosed. The guideline adherence indicator (GAI-3) was only 22  %. In Stage II, GPs in all 15 practices were interviewed, and health record documentation deficits and @entity1 ' contraindications were taken into account. This increased the percentage of @entity1 correctly prescribed ACEIs/ARBs to 87  %, BBs to 84  % and GAI-3 to 56  %. MRAs exhibited the most frequent contraindications, but remained underprescribed. Many GPs seemed not to be aware of the therapeutic value of MRAs or the need to reach target doses of the indicated drug classes. @entity1 -interviewed in Stage III-reported good tolerability of @entity712 -drugs and generally good compliance, although 11  % discontinued @entity712 -medication on their own. CONCLUSIONS: Guideline adherence of GPs was higher than expected from literature and might be further improved by highlighting MRAs as the third prognostically relevant drug class beside ACEIs/ARBs and BBs and stronger emphasis on target doses.

General practitioners' adherence to @entity712 guidelines regarding medication: the GP- XXXX study.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Patients', 'patients', 'patient'] @entity712 :: ('MESH:D006333', 'Disease') :: ['HF', 'chronic heart failure']
@entity712 :: (MESH:D006333,Disease) :: ['HF']
