Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41091789›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

Barriers and strategies in detection and management of elevated Lipoprotein(a) in hospital: A pre-implementation qualitative study of cardiology healthcare professionals.

Wann-Jia Loh, Linh Thai, Bik-Ling Poon, Jonathan Yeo, Jian-Jing Tan, Elaine Lum

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Wann-Jia LohDepartment of Endocrinology, Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5593-907X
Linh ThaiHealth Services & Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2230-0712
Bik-Ling PoonDepartment of Pharmacy, Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
Jonathan YeoDepartment of Pharmacy, Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
Jian-Jing TanDepartment of Cardiology, Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
Elaine LumHealth Services & Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0853-3018

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundElevated Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a genetic risk factor for cardiovascular diseases affecting 20% of the world's population, with multiple published consensus statements that recommend testing and management strategies. However, elevated Lp(a) remains under-detected and under-treated worldwide. Our qualitative study explored the perspectives of cardiology healthcare professionals regarding the barriers and enablers for Lp(a) detection and management.

methodsGuided by Theoretical Domains Framework, we conducted 41 qualitative semi-structured one-on-one interviews in a cardiology department at a high-volume hospital in Singapore from October to December 2023. Healthcare professionals were purposively sampled across role and seniority to include doctors (specialists and interns), specialist nurses and dedicated pharmacists. Through an inductive process, we constructed qualitative codes followed by code-mapping to arrive at higher-order sub-categories, categories, and eventually themes.

resultsAnalysis revealed 4 themes: rationale for routine testing, barriers to testing and follow-up, enablers of testing and follow-up, and ideal system to enhance patient management. Critical barriers to Lp(a) testing included a perceived lack of guidance in testing and follow-up, and misperception that Lp(a)-mediated cardiovascular risk cannot be managed resulting in low confidence of healthcare professionals to detect and manage elevated Lp(a). Inadequate institutional support to alleviate workload and presumed patient aversion to testing further hindered Lp(a) testing. We identified enablers and strategies to testing and management of Lp(a), notably these were the need for hospital-wide adequate training and education, guidelines and risk management pathways applicable to local settings, integration of Lp(a) testing into existing clinical pathways for high-risk patients, and user-friendly decision aids for healthcare professionals.

conclusionEffective education for healthcare professionals and optimised clinical workflows may help to address current knowledge gap and implementation barriers in the detection and management of elevated Lp(a) in hospital.

Indexed as

Cardiovascular DiseasesHealth PersonnelLipoprotein(a)AdultAttitude of Health PersonnelCardiologyFemaleHospitalsHumansMaleQualitative ResearchSingaporeLipoprotein(a)

Identifiers

PMID41091789
PMCPMC12527205

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.