Cost-Effectiveness of a National Opportunistic Screening Program for Atrial Fibrillation in Ireland. Cardiovascular Risk Factor Screening Satisfaction in the Heart of New Ulm Project A randomised controlled trial and cost-effectiveness study of systematic screening (targeted and total population screening) versus routine practice for the detection of atrial fibrillation in people aged 65 and over. The SAFE study. Impact of socioeconomic deprivation on screening for cardiovascular disease risk in a primary prevention population: a cross-sectional study Impact of cardiovascular counseling and screening in Hodgkin lymphoma survivors. Is screening for AF worthwhile? Stroke risk in a screened population from the SAFE study. Association of cardiovascular health screening with mortality, clinical outcomes, and health care cost: a nationwide cohort study. A simple risk score using routine data for predicting cardiovascular disease in primary care. Four years experience of a cardiovascular opportunistic screening and prevention programme in the primary health care in Sollentuna, Sweden. Mixed methods evaluation of targeted case finding for cardiovascular disease prevention using a stepped wedged cluster RCT Does training of general practitioners for intensive treatment of people with screen-detected diabetes have a spillover effect on mortality and cardiovascular morbidity in ‘at risk’ individuals with normoglycaemia? Results from the ADDITION-Denmark cluster-randomised controlled trial The impact of individualised cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk estimates and lifestyle advice on physical activity in individuals at high risk of CVD: a pilot 2 × 2 factorial understanding risk trial Cardiovascular risk screening program in Australian community pharmacies The psychological impact of cardiovascular screening and intervention in primary care: a problem of false reassurance? British Family Heart Study Group. A randomised controlled trial and cost effectiveness study of systematic screening (targeted and total population screening) versus routine practice for the detection of atrial fibrillation in the over 65s: (SAFE) [ISRCTN19633732] Motivational interviewing and problem solving treatment to reduce type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk in real life: a randomized controlled trial Effect of Adding Systematic Family History Enquiry to Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessment in Primary Care
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a  national atrial fibrillation screening program in Irel and involving annual opportunistic pulse palpation of all those older than 65 years during general practitioner consultations , with an electrocardiogram being performed if an irregular pulse is detected . METHODS A probabilistic Markov model was used to simulate costs and clinical outcomes in a hypothetical cohort of men and women with and without screening over the course of 25 years , using a societal perspective . RESULTS Screening was associated with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of € 23,004/ quality -adjusted life-year compared with routine care . Nevertheless , if the relative risk of stroke and systematic embolism in screen-detected patients is more than 12 % lower than that in patients with atrial fibrillation identified through routine practice , then screening would not be considered cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of € 45,000/ quality -adjusted life-year . An analysis comparing alternative combinations of start age and screening interval found that less frequent screening with a later start age may be more cost-effective than an annual screening from age 65 years . CONCLUSIONS Annual opportunistic screening of men and women aged 65 years and older in primary care in Irel and is likely to be cost-effective using conventional willingness-to-pay thresholds , assuming that those detected through screening have a comparable stroke risk profile as those detected through routine practice . Raising the start age of screening or increasing the screening interval may improve the cost-effectiveness of a prospect i ve screening program Objective Community-based cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) risk factor screening programs have been used successfully in rural health improvement initiatives . However , little is known about what consumers like or dislike about them , which is a barrier to the design of future process improvements . The objective of this study was to examine the degree to which health risks and participant characteristics predicted screening satisfaction . Design This study utilized a cross-sectional survey design . Setting Data was collected as part of the broader Heart of New Ulm Project , which is a community-based CVD prevention demonstration project based in rural Minnesota . Participants There were 126 r and omly invited individuals from the CVD risk factor screenings , with 118 individuals who agreed to participate and had complete data available for analyses . Methods A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between demographics , lifestyle , and biometric risk factors and screening satisfaction . Results Twenty percent of respondents indicated some level of dissatisfaction with the screening process . Satisfied participants were more likely to be female ( OR=4.15 ) , not have an optimal lifestyle ( OR=3.47 ) , and have an intention to improve their lifestyle habits ( OR=3.26 ) . Age , education , and CVD risk level were not significant predictors in the final model . Conclusion Satisfaction was high in this screening program , with healthy males being least satisfied with their experience . This has implication s for the design of future intervention efforts , as they may require specific programmatic features and more specialized , targeted marketing strategies to attract a broad spectrum of participants likely to benefit OBJECTIVES To determine the most cost-effective method of screening for  atrial fibrillation ( AF ) in the population aged 65 years and over , as well as its prevalence and incidence in this age group . Also to evaluate the relative cost-effectiveness of different methods of recording and interpreting the electrocardiogram ( ECG ) within a screening programme . DESIGN Multicentred r and omised controlled trial . Purpose fully selected general practice s were r and omly allocated to 25 intervention practice s and 25 control practice s. SETTING Fifty primary care centres across the West Midl and s , UK . PARTICIPANTS Patients aged 65 years and over . INTERVENTIONS GPs and practice nurses in the intervention practice s received education on the importance of AF detection and ECG interpretation . Patients in the intervention practice s were r and omly allocated to systematic ( n = 5000 ) or opportunistic screening ( n = 5000 ) . Prospect i ve identification of pre-existing risk factors for AF within the screened population enabled comparison between targeted screening of people at higher risk of AF and total population screening . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES AF detection rates in systematic ally screened and opportunistically screened population s in the intervention practice s were compared with AF detection rate in 5000 patients in the control practice s. The screening period was 12 months . RESULTS Baseline prevalence of AF was 7.2 % , with a higher prevalence in males ( 7.8 % ) and patients aged 75 years and over ( 10.3 % ) . The control population demonstrated higher baseline prevalence ( 7.9 % ) than either the systematic ( 6.9 % ) or opportunistic ( 6.9 % ) intervention population . In the control population 47 new cases were detected ( incidence 1.04 % per year ) . In the opportunistic arm 243 patients without a baseline diagnosis of AF were found to have an irregular pulse , with 177 having an ECG , yielding 31 new cases ( incidence 0.69 % per year ) . A further 44 cases were detected outside the screening programme ( overall incidence 1.64 % per year ) . In the systematic arm 2357 patients had an ECG yielding 52 new cases ( incidence 1.1 % per year ) . Of these , 31 were detected by targeted screening and a further 21 by total population screening . A further 22 cases were detected outside the screening programme ( overall incidence 1.62 % per year ) . In terms of ECG interpretation , computerised decision support software ( CDSS ) gave a sensitivity of 87.3 % , a specificity of 99.1 % and a positive predictive value ( PPV ) of 89.5 % compared with the gold st and ard ( cardiologist reporting ) . GPs and practice nurses performed less well . The only difference in performance between intervention population s and controls was that practice nurses from the control arm performed less well than with intervention practice nurses on interpretation of limb-lead ( PPV 38.8 % versus 20.8 % ) and single-lead ( PPV 37.7 % versus 24.0 % ) ECGs . The within-trial economic evaluation results showed the lowest incremental cost to be for the opportunistic arm , with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of 337 pounds Sterling for each additional case detected compared to the control arm . Opportunistic screening dominated both more intensive screening strategies . Model-based analyses showed small differences in cost and quality -adjusted life-years for different methods and intensities of screening , but annual opportunistic screening result ed in the lowest number of ischaemic strokes and greatest proportion of cases of AF diagnosed . Probabilistic sensitivity results indicated that there was a probability of approximately 60 % that screening from the age of 65 years was cost-effective in both men and women . CONCLUSIONS The results of the study indicated that in terms of a screening programme for atrial fibrillation in patients 65 and over , the only strategy that improved on routine practice was opportunistic screening , model-based analyses indicated that there was a probability of approximately 60 % of annual opportunistic screening being cost effective . It is suggested that the following topics are worthy of further investigation : the effect of the implementation of a screening programme for AF on the uptake and maintenance of anticoagulation in patients aged 65 years and over ; an evaluation of the role of CDSS in the diagnosis of cardiac arrythmias ; the best method for routinely detecting paroxysmal AF ; ways of improving healthcare professionals ' performance in ECG interpretation ; development of a robust economic model to incorporate data on new therapeutic agents for use as thromboprophylactic agents for patients with AF , and an evaluation of the relative risk of stroke for patients with incident as opposed to prevalent AF Objectives Investigate the association between socioeconomic deprivation and completeness of cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) risk factor recording in primary care , uptake of screening in people with incomplete risk factor recording and with actual CVD risk within the screened subgroup . Design Cross-sectional study . Setting Nine UK general practice s. Participants 7987 people aged 50–74 years with no CVD diagnosis . Methods CVD risk was estimated using the Framingham equation from data extracted from primary care electronic health records . Where there was insufficient information to calculate risk , patients were invited to attend a screening assessment . Analysis Proportion of patients for whom clinical data were sufficiently complete to enable CVD risk to be calculated ; proportion of patients invited to screening who attended ; proportion of patients who attended screening whose 10-year risk of a cardiovascular event was high ( > 20 % ) . For each outcome , a set of logistic regression models were run . Crude and adjusted ORs were estimated for person-level deprivation , age , gender and smoking status . We included practice -level deprivation as a continuous variable and practice as a r and om effect to account for clustering . Results People who had lower  Indices of Multiple Deprivation ( IMD ) scores ( less deprived ) had significantly worse routine CVD risk factor recording ( adjusted OR 0.97 ( 0.95 to 1.00 ) per IMD decile ; p=0.042 ) . Screening attendance was poorer in those with more deprivation ( adjusted OR 0.89 ( 0.86 to 0.91 ) per IMD decile ; p<0.001 ) . Among those who attended screening , the most deprived were more likely to have CVD risk > 20 % ( OR 1.09 ( 1.03 to 1.15 ) per IMD decile ; p=0.004 ) . Conclusions Our data suggest that those who had the most to gain from screening were least likely to attend , potentially exacerbating existing health inequalities . Future research should focus on tailoring the delivery of CVD screening to ensure engagement of socioeconomically deprived groups PURPOSE Cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) is the most common nonmalignant cause of death in Hodgkin lymphoma ( HL ) survivors , especially after mediastinal irradiation . The role of screening for CVD in HL survivors is unclear , but confrontation with risks of CVD may have a negative influence on health-related quality of life ( HRQL ) . As part of a phase 2 screening study using computed tomography angiography ( CTA ) among HL survivors , an HRQL analysis was done to evaluate the emotional and practical burden and perceived benefits of screening and the effect of CVD-specific counseling on patient satisfaction . METHODS AND MATERIAL S Patients who participated in the screening study also took part in the HRQL study . The impact of undergoing screening was evaluated with a 9-item question naire , and impact on HRQL with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer ( EORTC ) Quality of Life Core Question naire C30 , version 3.0 . The effect of counseling of CVD on perceived provision of information was evaluated with EORTC INFO-25 . All question naires were completed at baseline and after screening . RESULTS Baseline question naires were received from 48 participants , and 43 completed question naires after screening .  Mean age was 47 years , and mean time since diagnosis was 21 years . Of the total , 93 % of subjects were content with participating , and 80 % did not find the emphasis placed on late effects burdensome , although screening did have a small impact on social functioning and global quality of life . Perceived information on disease , medical tests , and treatment increased significantly after screening ( P<.01 ) . Differences were clinical ly relevant . There were no differences in perceived information between patients with and without screen-detected CVD . CONCLUSIONS Screening was evaluated favorably , whether CTA showed abnormalities or not . Extensive counseling result ed in substantially increased provision of information and improved information satisfaction . Screening by means of CTA and subsequent cardiac intervention was highly valued , and the benefits were felt to outweigh the emotional and practical burden INTRODUCTION Atrial fibrillation ( AF ) is an important independent risk factor for stroke and oral anticoagulation therapy provides a highly effective treatment to reduce this risk . Active screening strategies improve detection of AF in comparison with routine care ; however , whether screen-detected patients have stroke risk profiles favouring anticoagulation is unclear . Using data derived from the screening for AF in the elderly ( SAFE ) study , the aim of this article was to determine if patients with AF detected via active screening  have stroke risk profiles that warrant prophylactic anticoagulation . METHODS Secondary analysis of data derived from 25 general practice s within which cohorts of 200 patients were r and omly allocated to opportunistic [ pulse and electrocardiogram ( ECG ) ] or systematic screening ( postal invitation for ECG ) .  Stroke risk assessment was undertaken using baseline data extracted from medical records and CHADS2 criteria . CHADS2 scores were compared between the screening groups . RESULTS One hundred and forty-nine new cases of AF were detected , 75 via opportunistic screening and 74 via systematic screening . CHADS2 scores were ≥1 in 83 % [ 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) 72.6 - 89.6 ] of patients detected via opportunistic screening and 78 % ( 95 % CI 67.7 - 86.2 ) detected via systematic screening . There were no significant differences in stroke risk profiles of patients detected via opportunistic and systematic screenings . CONCLUSION Stroke risk profiles of patients detected via opportunistic and systematic screenings were similar . Data derived from the SAFE study suggest that active screening for AF in patients aged ≥65 years in primary care is a useful screening programme with 78 - 83 % of patients identified eligible for anticoagulation treatment according to the CHADS2 criteria OBJECTIVE To determine whether a  cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) health screening program is associated with CVD-related health conditions , incidence of cardiovascular events , mortality , healthcare utilization , and costs . METHODS Cohort study of a 3 % r and om sample of all Korea National Health Insurance members 40years of age or older and free of CVD or CVD-related health conditions was conducted . A total 443,337 study participants were followed-up from January 1 , 2005 through December 31 , 2010 . RESULTS In primary analysis , the hazard ratios for CVD mortality , all-cause mortality , incident composite CVD events , myocardial infa rct ion , cerebral infa rct ion , and cerebral hemorrhage comparing participants who attended a screening exam during 2003 - 2004 compared to those who did not were 0.58 ( 95 % CI : 0.53 - 0.63 ) , 0.62 ( 95 % CI : 0.60 - 0.64 ) , 0.82 ( 95 % CI : 0.78 - 0.85 ) , 0.84 ( 95 % CI : 0.75 - 0.93 ) , 0.84 ( 95 % CI : 0.79 - 0.89 ) , and 0.73 ( 95 % CI : 0.67 - 0.80 ) , respectively . Screening attenders had higher rates of newly diagnosed hypertension , diabetes mellitus , and dyslipidemia , lower inpatient days of stay and cost , and lower outpatient cost compared to non-attenders . CONCLUSIONS Participation in CVD health screening was associated with lower rates of CVD , all-cause mortality , and CVD events , higher detection of CVD-related health conditions , and lower healthcare utilization and costs BACKGROUND Population -based screening for cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) risk , incorporating blood tests , is proposed in several countries . AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a simple approach to identifying individuals at high risk of CVD using routine data might be effective . DESIGN OF STUDY Prospect i ve cohort study ( EPIC-Norfolk ) . SETTING Norfolk area , UK . METHOD A total of 21 867 men and women aged 40 - 74 years , who were free from CVD and diabetes at baseline , participated in the study . The discrimination ( the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [ aROC ] ) , calibration , sensitivity/specificity , and positive/negative predictive value were evaluated for different risk thresholds of the Framingham risk equations and the Cambridge diabetes risk score ( as an example of a simple risk score using routine data from electronic general practice records ) . RESULTS During 203 664 person-years of follow-up , 2213 participants developed a first CVD event ( 10.9 per 1000 person-years ) . The Cambridge diabetes risk score predicted CVD events reasonably well ( aROC 0.72 ; 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] = 0.71 to 0.73 ) , while the Framingham risk score had the best predictive ability ( aROC 0.77 ; 95 % CI = 0.76 to 0.78 ) . The Framingham risk score overestimated risk of developing CVD in this representative British population by 60 % . CONCLUSION A risk score incorporating routinely available data from GP records performed reasonably well at predicting CVD events . This suggests that it might be more efficient to use routine data as the first stage in a stepwise population screening programme to identify people at high risk of developing CVD before more time- and re source -consuming tests are used OBJECTIVE To study the feasibility of a cardiovascular prevention programme . DESIGN Opportunistic screening for cardiovascular risk factors . Advice and treatment to reduce identified cardiovascular risk factors . Individually design ed follow-up . SETTING Primary health care in Sollentuna ( 51,000 inhabitants ) , Sweden . SUBJECTS Visitors to health care centres . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Feasibility and effectiveness to reduce identified cardiovascular risk factors . RESULTS During 4 years 5622 persons , of whom 4655 ( 83 % ) were in the age group 20 - 60 years , participated in the programme . The prevalences of risk factors as smoking , overweight , hypertension , hypercholesterolaemia and hypertriglyceridaemia were high . At follow-up investigations , mean S-cholesterol levels were reduced by 7 % among men and 10 % among women . S-triglycerides were reduced by 24 % and 42 % , respectively . Diastolic blood pressures were reduced in men from 95 to 90 mmHg and in women from 94 to 88 mmHg . However , no effects on weight were noted and due to a low follow-up rate meaningful analysis of smoking habits was not possible . CONCLUSION A programme for cardiovascular screening and prevention can be integrated in the primary health care system . Prevalent cardiovascular risk factors like hypercholesterolaemia , hypertriglyceridaemia and high blood pressure were significantly reduced after intervention Background A pilot project cardiovascular prevention was implemented in S and well ( West Midl and s , UK ) . This used electronic primary care records to identify untreated patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease then invited these high risk patients for assessment by a nurse in their own general practice . Those found to be eligible for treatment were offered treatment . During the pilot a higher proportion of high risk patients were started on treatment in the intervention practice s than in control practice s. Following the apparent success of the prevention project , it was intended to extend the service to all practice s across the S and well area . However the pilot project was not a robust evaluation . There was a need for an efficient evaluation that would not disrupt the planned rollout of the project . Methods / design Project nurses will sequentially implement targeted cardiovascular case finding in a phased way across all general practice s , with the sequence of general practice s determined r and omly . This is a stepped wedge r and omised controlled trial design . The target population is patients aged 35 to 74 , without diabetes or cardiovascular disease whose ten-year cardiovascular risk , ( determined from data in their electronic records ) is ≥20 % . The primary outcome is the number of high risk patients started on treatment , because these data could be efficiently obtained from electronic primary care records . From this we can determine the effects of the case finding programme on the proportion of high risk patients started on treatment in practice s before and after implementation of targeted case finding . Cost-effectiveness will be modelled from the predicted effects of treatments on cardiovascular events and associated health service costs . Alongside the implementation it is intended to interview clinical staff and patients who participated in the programme in order to determine acceptability to patients and clinicians . Practical considerations meant that 26 practice s in S and well could be r and omised , including about 6,250 patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease . This gives sufficient power for evaluation . Discussion It is possible to design a stepped wedge r and omised controlled trial using routine data to determine the primary outcome to evaluate implementation of a cardiovascular prevention programme Aims /hypothesisWithin a trial of intensive treatment of people with screen-detected diabetes , we aim ed to assess a potential spillover effect of the trial intervention on incident cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) and all-cause mortality among people who screened positive on a diabetes risk question naire but who were normoglycaemic . Methods In the Anglo – Danish – Dutch Study of Intensive Treatment In People with Screen-Detected Diabetes in Primary Care (ADDITION)-Denmark trial , 175 general practice s were cluster-r and omised into : ( 1 ) screening plus routine care of individuals with screen-detected diabetes ( control group ) ;  or (  2 ) screening plus training and support in intensive multifactorial treatment of individuals with screen-detected diabetes ( intervention  group  ) . We identified all individuals who screened positive on a diabetes risk question naire in ADDITION-Denmark but were normoglycaemic following biochemical testing for use in this secondary analysis . After a median 8.9 years follow-up , we used data from national registers to compare rates of first CVD events and all-cause mortality in individuals in the routine care group with those in the intensive treatment group . Results In total , 21,513 individuals screened positive for high risk of diabetes but were normoglycaemic on biochemical testing in ADDITION-Denmark practice s between 2001 and 2006 ( 10,289 in the routine care group and 11,224 in the intensive treatment group ) . During 9 years of follow-up , there were 3784 first CVD events and 1748 deaths . The incidence of CVD was lower among the intensive treatment group compared with the routine care group ( HR 0.92 [ 95 % CI 0.85 , 0.99 ] ) . This association was stronger among individuals at highest CVD risk ( heart SCORE ≥ 10 ; HR 0.85 [ 95 % CI 0.75 , 0.96 ] ) . There was no difference in mortality between the two treatment groups ( HR 1.02 [ 95 % CI 0.92 , 1.14 ] ) . Conclusions /interpretationTraining of general practitioners to provide target-driven intensive management of blood glucose levels and other cardiovascular risk factors showed some evidence of a spillover effect on the risk of CVD over a 9 year period among individuals at high risk of diabetes . The effect was particularly pronounced among those at highest risk of CVD . There was no effect on mortality . Trial registration : Clinical Trials.gov Background There is currently much interest in encouraging individuals to increase physical activity in order to reduce CVD risk . This study has been design ed to determine if personalised CVD risk appreciation can increase physical activity in adults at high risk of CVD . Methods / Design In a 2 × 2 factorial design participants are allocated at r and om to a personalised 10-year CVD risk estimate or numerical CVD risk factor values ( systolic blood pressure , LDL cholesterol and fasting glucose ) and , simultaneously , to receive a brief lifestyle advice intervention targeting physical activity , diet and smoking cessation or not . We aim to recruit 200 participants from Oxfordshire primary care practice s. Eligibility criteria include adults age 40–70 years , estimated 10-year CVD risk ≥20 % , ability to read and write English , no known CVD and no physical disability or other condition reducing the ability to walk . Primary outcome is physical activity measured by ActiGraph accelerometer with biochemical , anthropometrical and psychological measures as additional outcomes . Primary analysis is between group physical activity differences at one month powered to detect a difference of 30,000 total counts per day of physical activity between the groups . Additional analyses will seek to further eluci date the relationship between the provision of risk information , and intention to change behaviour and to determine the impact of both interventions on clinical and anthropometrical measures including fasting and 2 hour plasma glucose , fructosamine , serum cotinine , plasma vitamin C , body fat percentage and blood pressure . Discussion This is a pilot trial seeking to demonstrate in a real world setting , proof of principal that provision of personalised risk information can contribute to behaviour changes aim ed at reducing CVD risk . This study will increase our underst and ing of the links between the provision of risk information and behaviour change and if successful , could be used in clinical practice with little or no modification Objective To assess the suitability of Australian community pharmacies as cardiovascular disease risk profile screening centres and evaluate whether community pharmacists can play an important role in detecting , educating and referring screened individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease . Setting 14 Australian community pharmacies . Method Opportunistic cardiovascular disease risk profiling for members of the public aged greater than 30 years with no existing cardiovascular diseases was performed . All major cardiovascular risk factors were measured . Exercise habits , existing conditions and therapy , and family history were also assessed . The results were used to calculate each subject ’s 10-year risk of developing cardiovascular events , based on Framingham Risk Equations ( New Zeal and tables ) . Each subject ’s knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors was assessed using a multiple-choice question naire . Written educational material s and verbal counselling were provided . Referral to a doctor for further assessment was recommended as appropriate . The screened individuals were followed up via mailed out question naire . A r and om sample of individuals at elevated risk was phoned to assess for outcomes of the screening and referral process . Main outcome measures Risk of developing cardiovascular disease and knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors . Results A total of 655 individuals ( 71.4 % female ) were screened for cardiovascular disease risk factors . Ages ranged from 30 to 90 years ( median : 54 years ) and 14.2 % were smokers . Of the individuals screened , 28.1 % had a 10-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease greater than 15 % , including 6.9 % who had a 10-year risk above 30 % . The median calculated 10-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease was 9.5 % . Approximately one-third of the individuals had elevated blood pressure , and almost two-thirds were either overweight or obese . The mean total serum cholesterol was 5.31 mmol/l , with 40 % of individuals having a level above 5.5 mmol/l and 20 % having a high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level below 1.0 mmol/l . There was a statistically significant improvement in the knowledge of cardiovascular disease risk factors at follow-up . Almost half of the contacted high-risk subjects reported lifestyle changes or started drug therapy following re-testing by their general practitioner . Conclusion A pharmacy-based cardiovascular disease risk profile screening and education program has the potential to identify and refer many undiagnosed individuals at high risk of cardiovascular events , and help contain the burden of heart disease BACKGROUND There have been many reports of the adverse psychological effects of screening . Here we discuss the results of a r and omized controlled study --one of the first to address this issue . AIM To determine the extent to which participation in a population -based intervention programme that aims to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases raises concerns about health , or undermines a belief in the ability to reduce that risk . METHOD A r and omized controlled trial involving 13 general practice s in Engl and , Wales and Scotl and was conducted . Two thous and , nine hundred and eighty-four middle-aged men and women undergoing cardiovascular risk-screening and intervention , and a r and omized comparison group of 3,576 men and women from the same practice s , who were not offered the intervention  , were compared on three outcomes : perception of current health , perceived risk of suffering a heart attack , and perceived ability to reduce the risk of suffering a heart attack . RESULTS We found no evidence to suggest that participation in this one-year , population -based intervention programme , to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease raised concerns about health or risk of a heart attack ; indeed , those in the intervention group were slightly more optimistic about their health . Alterations in perceptions of current health and the risk of suffering a heart attack were associated directly with true alterations in risk factors . A more noticeable effect on participants in this intervention programme was a reduction in their perceived ability to further reduce their risks of a heart attack . This was associated with a decrease in weight and with quitting smoking . CONCLUSION Contemporary screening and intervention programmes in primary care , aim ed at reducing risk of cardiovascular disease , do not necessarily lead to raised anxiety or concern about health . A more subtle effect of screening would appear to be one of reassurance in the face of continuing , albeit reduced , risk Background Atrial fibrillation ( AF ) has been recognised as an important independent risk factor for thromboembolic disease , particularly stroke for which it provides a five-fold increase in risk . This study aim ed to determine the baseline prevalence and the incidence of AF based on a variety of screening strategies and in doing so to evaluate the incremental cost-effectiveness of different screening strategies , including targeted or whole population screening , compared with routine clinical practice , for detection of AF in people aged 65 and over . The value of clinical assessment and echocardiography as additional methods of risk stratification for thromboembolic disease in patients with AF were also evaluated . Methods The study design was a multi-centre r and omised controlled trial with a study population of patients aged 65 and over from 50 General Practice s in the West Midl and s. These purpose fully selected general practice s were r and omly allocated to 25 intervention practice s and 25 control practice s. GPs and practice nurses within the intervention practice s received education on the importance of AF detection and ECG interpretation . Patients in the intervention practice s were r and omly allocated to systematic ( n = 5000 ) or opportunistic screening ( n = 5000 ) . Prospect i ve identification of pre-existing risk factors for AF within the screened population enabled comparison between high risk targeted screening and total population screening . AF detection rates in systematic ally screened and opportunistically screened population s in the intervention practice s were compared to AF detection rate in 5,000 patients in the control practice Background Intensive lifestyle interventions in well-controlled setting s are effective in lowering the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes ( T2DM ) and cardiovascular diseases ( CVD ) , but there are still no effective lifestyle interventions for everyday practice . In the Hoorn Prevention Study we aim ed to assess the effectiveness of a primary care based lifestyle intervention to reduce the estimated risk of developing T2DM and for CVD mortality , and to motivate changes in lifestyle behaviors . Methods The Hoorn Prevention Study is a parallel group r and omized controlled trial , implemented in the region of West-Friesl and , the Netherl and s. 622 adults with ≥10 % estimated risk of T2DM and /or CVD mortality were r and omly assigned and monitored over a period of 12 months . The intervention group ( n=314 ) received a theory-based lifestyle intervention based on an innovative combination of motivational interviewing and problem solving treatment , provided by trained practice nurses in 12 general practice s. The control group ( n=308 ) received existing health brochures . Primary outcomes was the estimated diabetes risk according to the formula of the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities ( ARIC ) Study , and the estimated risk for CVD mortality according to the Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation ( SCORE ) formula . Secondary outcomes included lifestyle behavior ( diet , physical activity and smoking ) . The research assistants , the principal investigator and the general practitioners were blinded to group assignment . Linear and logistic regression analysis was applied to examine the between-group differences in each outcome measure , adjusted for baseline values . Results 536 ( 86.2 % ) of the 622 participants ( age 43.5 years ) completed the 6-month follow-up , and 502 ( 81.2 % ) completed the 12-month follow-up . The mean baseline T2DM risk was 18.9 % ( SD 8.2 ) and the mean CVD mortality risk was 3.8 % ( SD 3.0 ) . The intervention group participated in a median of 2 sessions . Intention-to-treat analyses showed no significant differences in outcomes between the two groups at 6 or 12-months follow-up . Conclusions The lifestyle intervention was not more effective than health brochures in reducing risk scores for T2DM and CVD or improving lifestyle behavior in an at-risk population .Trial registration Current Controlled Trials : IS RCT BACKGROUND Evidence of the value of systematic ally collecting family history in primary care is limited . OBJECTIVE To evaluate the feasibility of systematic ally collecting family history of coronary heart disease in primary care and the effect of incorporating these data into cardiovascular risk assessment . DESIGN Pragmatic , matched-pair , cluster r and omized , controlled trial . ( International St and ardized R and omized Controlled Trial Number Register : IS RCT N 17943542 ) . SETTING 24 family practice s in the United Kingdom . PARTICIPANTS 748 persons aged 30 to 65 years with no previously diagnosed cardiovascular risk , seen between July 2007 and March 2009 . INTERVENTION Participants in control practice s had the usual Framingham-based cardiovascular risk assessment with and without use of existing family history information in their medical records . Participants in intervention practice s also completed a question naire to systematic ally collect their family history . All participants were informed of their risk status . Participants with high cardiovascular risk were invited for a consultation . MEASUREMENTS The primary outcome was the proportion of participants with high cardiovascular risk ( 10-year risk ≥ 20 % ) . Other measures included question naire completion rate and anxiety score . RESULTS 98 % of participants completed the family history question naire . The mean increase in proportion of participants classified as having high cardiovascular risk was 4.8 percentage points in the intervention practice s , compared with 0.3 percentage point in control practice s when family history from patient records was incorporated . The 4.5-percentage point difference between groups ( 95 % CI , 1.7 to 7.2 percentage points ) remained significant after adjustment for participant and practice characteristics ( P = 0.007 ) . Anxiety scores were similar between groups . LIMITATIONS Relatively few participants were from ethnic minority or less-educated groups . The potential to explore behavioral change and clinical outcomes was limited . Many data were missing for anxiety scores . CONCLUSION Systematic ally collecting family history increases the proportion of persons identified as having high cardiovascular risk for further targeted prevention and seems to have little or no effect on anxiety . PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE Genetics Health Services Research program of the United Kingdom Department of Health
Limited data suggest that systematic risk assessment for CVD has no statistically significant effects on clinical endpoints .
There is limited evidence to suggest that CVD systematic risk assessment may have some favourable effects on cardiovascular risk factors .
BACKGROUND Screening programmes can potentially identify people at high cardiovascular risk and reduce cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) morbidity and mortality .
However , there is currently not enough evidence showing clear clinical or economic benefits of systematic screening-like programmes over the widely practised opportunistic risk assessment of CVD in primary care setting s. OBJECTIVES The primary objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness , costs and adverse effects of systematic risk assessment compared to opportunistic risk assessment for the primary prevention of CVD .