Teaching preventive cardiology in primary care: an integrated curricular approach

Education in preventive cardiology is an essential element of any primary care curriculum. Gaps in primary care training and delivery of preventive services are well documented and reinforce the need for curricular evaluation and innovation. The Preventive Cardiology Academic Award program provides a network of resources and information for enhancing a preventive cardiology curriculum. This paper describes an approach to the design, implementation, and evaluation of a preventive cardiology curriculum for primary care physician training. A sequence of instruction is presented to provide a framework for provision of knowledge, confidence, and skills for integration into traditional physician education. Basic components of preventive cardiology and program innovations are highlighted.