Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. The management of CAD, a preventable disease, has significant implications for health and wellness outcomes in the United States. Decades of research have examined the role and effectiveness of an educational intervention in promoting the patient's knowledge of and ability to manage risk factors for CAD. This project examined the effectiveness of an educational tool implemented in a primary care setting in improving patients' knowledge about CAD risk factors. Method The research design was a non-experimental one-group pre-test and post-test design. After receiving institutional review board approval and permission from the participating family practice clinic, 150 charts were screened for CAD risk using the Pooled Cohort Risk Assessment Equation. A total of 25 participants with elevated CAD risk ultimately completed the study protocol, which involved completing a pre-test questionnaire (the CADE Q-II), watching an educational video, and completing the same survey as the post-test. Results Results demonstrate that the use of an educational intervention improved scores on a knowledge assessment of CAD risk factors. There was no difference in pre and post-educational knowledge between gender (F1,23 =0.366, p=.276) and between races (F1,23 = 1.926, p=.09). There were significant differences between CADE Q-II pre and post-education domain and total scores (t (24) =-5.655; p<0.001). The domains with the lowest scores were 'Nutrition' and 'CAD Risk Factors.' Both domains were below the acceptable 75% score in pre and post-tests results. Participants demonstrated the highest pre and post-test scores in the 'Medical Condition' domain. Conclusion Educational intervention is effective in increasing the knowledge about CAD among participants with increased risk for CAD. Results demonstrated the importance of education as a core component of patient care management. Nurse practitioners in family practice can assist their patients in adopting appropriate lifestyle modifications to manage their risk for CAD by implementing educational interventions.
