Health care professionals throughout Scotland are being supplied with a resource directory which aims to provide them with everything they need to know about treating patients with heart disease.
The initiative, which is supported by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, together with individual pharmaceutical companies, was launched on February 14 by the Scottish health minister (Mrs Susan Deacon) who said it was designed to combat one of the country's biggest killers.
The directory has been produced in a "Yellow Pages" format and is based on recent SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) guidelines on managing and treating heart disease. It also includes details of patient information leaflets, audit, nurse training and useful web sites.
Ms Deacon said that she hoped it would be widely used.
"It contains a wealth of information about all aspects of heart disease and presents it in a convenient form which can be easily accessed by very busy health care professionals," she added.
Dr Richard Tiner, medical director of the ABPI said: "For the first time doctors, nurses and other care staff will have a directory that provides them with all the clinical information they need in treating coronary heart disease."