Implementing clinical practice guidelines in cardiology: accelerating the translation of evidence into practice

Clinical practice guidelines form the foundation of evidence-based care in cardiology, yet gaps persist between the care recommended and that delivered. Passive dissemination of guidelines remains the predominant approach to implementing guidelines into routine policy and practice, which can lead to a one-size-fits-all approach that inadequately addresses barriers across all population subgroups, but particularly in underserved subgroups. Guidelines typically fall short of providing structured guidance on what actions are required to implement recommended care, by whom and the conditions under which they should be applied. This review addresses this gap by providing comprehensive, cardiology-specific guidance on integrating implementation science principles throughout the full guideline development and implementation cycle. We draw on contemporary literature to provide cardiology-specific examples for: actively disseminating guidelines, assessing implementation barriers and facilitators, tailoring implementation strategies, scaling up and sustaining implementation, as well as deprioritising low-value care and embedding implementation science principles in the guideline development process. Through the systematic integration of these principles into cardiology guideline development and implementation, evidence-based care can consistently reach the patients who need it most.