From Guidelines to Practice: The Pharmacist’s Role in Chronic Heart Failure Therapy Optimization

This activity was originally presented at the 2025 PTCE Cardiology Day of Education.

Program Description

Despite advancements in cardiovascular medicine, heart failure remains a growing global health concern, contributing to rising hospitalization and readmission rates, as well as poor patient outcomes. Current guidelines emphasize the benefits of implementing an ACEi, ARB, or ARNI alongside a beta-blocker, a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, and an SGLT2i to reduce mortality and hospitalization for decompensation. Although the benefits for these therapies are well understood, proper implementation of the guideline recommendations is suboptimal. In addition, certain patients who are optimized on the four pillars may continue to experience symptoms resulting in hospitalization due to worsening heart failure. Pharmacists play a significant role in identifying patients with risk factors for poor prognosis, assisting in intensive treatment strategy, and personalized patient treatment. This activity will explore the current management guidelines, available treatment options, optimal titration, and consideration of additional therapies used in HFrEF management.

Target audience: Ambulatory Care Pharmacist, Community Pharmacist, Consultant Pharmacist, Health System Pharmacist

Type of activity: Application
Release date: June 13, 2025
Expiration date: June 13, 2026

Time to complete activity: 1.5 hours

Learner level: Foundational, Intermediate
Fee: Free

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Explain the significance of the nitric oxide-soluble guanylate cyclase-cyclic GMP (NO-sGC-cGMP) pathway in the pathophysiology of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and assess how disruptions in this pathway contribute to disease progression and patient morbidity
• Examine the latest clinical guidelines and evidence-based treatment strategies for HFrEF, and identify appropriate guideline-directed medical therapies (GDMT) for patients with worsening HFrEF, considering individualized patient factors and comorbidities
• Employ effective management plans for HFrEF patients by incorporating GDMT, patient education, monitoring, and adherence strategies aimed at reducing hospitalizations, improving quality of life, and achieving optimal clinical outcomes

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education™ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This activity is approved for 1.5 contact hours (0.15 CEU) under the ACPE universal activity number 0290-0000-25-187-H01-P. The activity is available for CE credit through June 13, 2026.

Instructions for Completing the Activity and Receiving CPE Credit

To receive CPE credit, participants must complete the pretest, review the activity in its entirety, complete the posttest, and complete the online activity evaluation. After successful completion of the online activity evaluation, you can submit your credit to CPE Monitor. You may view your credit within 48 hours at www.mycpemonitor.net. All participants must request credit before the activity expiration date. CE credit will not be issued after this date.

Disclosures

The following contributors have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose:

Faculty

Dejan (Dan) Landup, PharmD, HF-Cert

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education^™ Planning Staff—Jim Palatine, RPh, MBA; Maryjo Dixon, RPh, MBA; Rose Buszka, PharmD, BCPS, CHCP; Crissy Wilson; Susan Pordon; Brianna Winters; Chloe Taccetta; and Rebecca Green have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.
At least one anonymous peer reviewer was used as part of content validation and conflict resolution. The peer reviewer has no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.

Educational Disclaimer
CPE activities are offered solely for educational purposes and do not constitute any form of professional advice or referral. Discussions concerning drugs, dosages, and procedures may reflect the clinical experience of the author(s) or they may be derived from the professional literature or other sources and may suggest uses that are investigational in nature and not approved labeling or indications. Participants are encouraged to refer to primary references or full prescribing information resources.

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