A mobile screening unit, practicalities and problems

The need for a mobile screening unit to travel throughout Scotland to measure and modify cardiovascular risk factors in the apparently healthy working population was fulfilled by the conversion of a double-decker bus. The aim of the project was to assess the incidence of risk factors in healthy individuals and to modify their risk factors by individual counselling. Many unforeseen practical problems were encountered and overcome during the planning stage and during the project. The team of specially trained staff spent three and a half years screening more than 20,000 people throughout Scotland. This project provides a model for other screening projects involving a multicentre/scattered cohort.