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(Circulation. 2008;118:687-696.)
© 2008 American Heart Association, Inc.

Special Report

Translating Research Into Practice for Healthcare Providers

The American Heart Association’s Strategy for Building Healthier Lives, Free of Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke

Daniel W. Jones, MD, FAHA; Eric D. Peterson, MD, MPH, FAHA; Robert O. Bonow, MD, FAHA; Frederick A. Masoudi, MD, MSPH; Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, FAHA; Sidney C. Smith, Jr, MD, FAHA; Penelope Solis, JD; Meighan Girgus, MBA; Patricia C. Hinton, MA, MS; Anne Leonard, MPH, RN, FAHA; Raymond J. Gibbons, MD, FAHA

From the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson (D.W.J.); Duke University, Durham, NC (E.D.P.); Northwestern University Medical Center, Evanston, Ill (R.O.B.); Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, Colo (F.A.M.); University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center (G.C.F.); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (S.C.S.); American Heart Association, Dallas, Tex (P.S., M.G., P.C.H., A.L.); and Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn (R.J.G.).

Correspondence to Daniel W. Jones, MD, FAHA, Office of the Vice Chancellor, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 N State St, Jackson, MS 39216–4505. E-mail djones{at}ovc.umsmed.edu

The American Heart Association’s (AHA’s) mission is "to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke." This first article in a 2-part series will serve to present an overview of the work the AHA has undertaken to translate evidence into practice for healthcare professionals. It describes the extensive work of the AHA to support and further the delivery of evidence-based medicine, which includes the following: (1) supporting scientific discovery and the next generation of healthcare professionals and researchers; (2) disseminating scientific information; (3) developing evidence-based guidelines and statements; (4) creating and advocating for the implementation of performance indicators/measures; (5) developing clinical decision support and quality improvement tools; and (6) developing directed-cause campaigns, all of which can lead to improved patient care. This article also discusses the need for novel approaches and some of the AHA’s evolving strategies to help address gaps in care. The second article, which will be published shortly after this one, will examine the AHA’s efforts to engage and empower healthcare consumers to become more involved with their own health and health care.

Key Words: cardiovascular diseases • research • stroke

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