Beta Blocker at Discharge

The Reading Hospital percentages displayed in this graph reflect discharges during second quarter 2011. State and national rates from the US Department of Health & Human Services are for discharges between October 2009 and September 2010.

Why is this important?

Beta blockers are a type of medicine that is used to lower blood pressure, treat chest pain (angina) and heart failure, and help prevent a heart attack. Beta blockers relieve the stress on your heart by slowing the heart rate and reducing the force with which your heart muscles contract to pump blood. They also help keep blood vessels from constricting in your heart, brain, and body. If you have a heart attack, you should get a prescription for a beta blocker before you leave the Hospital.

Our approach to improving performance:

We provide ongoing staff education to assure that all heart attack patients are given beta-blockers if appropriate. We have updated the forms used by our doctors and nurses to include this important information. Our patient education booklet, A Change of Heart, provides heart attack patients with information about beta-blockers as part of their treatment.