Cardiovascular screening in general practice in a low SES area

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
• General Practice

Background:

• Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is linked to increased cardiovascular (CV) risk.
• Proactive primary prevention CV screening in general practice (GP) may be effective in low SES regions.
• This study investigated the feasibility, attendance, and risk identification of such a screening program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a primary prevention cardiovascular screening program in a low SES general practice setting.
• To determine the attendance rate and the proportion of individuals identified with elevated cardiovascular risk.
• To evaluate the need for medication among those identified with high risk.

Main Methods:

• Men and women aged ≥ 50/55 years in a low SES region were invited for CV risk profiling using SCORE and additional risk factors.
• Screening was conducted by laboratory personnel at GP practices.
• Treatment advice followed Dutch GP guidelines; response rates were compared to control practices.

Main Results:

• Of 521 invited, 354 (68%) were interested, and 278 risk profiles were analyzed.
• 60% of participants had low cardiovascular risk (SCORE <5%).
• Among those with SCORE ≥ 5% (40%), 60% were not on medication for hypertension or hypercholesterolemia.

Conclusions:

• Cardiovascular screening in GP settings within low SES areas is feasible.
• The laboratory-supported screening approach achieved high attendance rates.
• This method effectively identified and provided treatment advice for numerous individuals at elevated cardiovascular risk.