Role of nurse practitioners in reducing cardiovascular risk factors: a retrospective cohort study

To determine the impact of nurse practitioners' counselling on reducing cardiovascular risk factors in patients participating in routine preventive check-ups.

A new model of 'renewed' family practice was introduced in Slovenia as a pilot project in 2011, in which nurse practitioners are included in a team carrying out preventive activities and managing patients with stable chronic diseases.

A retrospective cohort study.

This study was conducted in 16 family medicine practices (eight renewed and eight regular family practices). In each family practice, a systematic sample was selected of registered patients participating in a cardiovascular preventive check-up. Data on sex, age, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, smoking, level of physical activity and cardiovascular risk were collected. Patients attending renewed family practices received counselling on risk factors from nurse practitioners (test group), and patients attending regular family practices received counselling from family physicians (control group). Data were collected again at least one and no more than five years after the baseline consultation.

There were 128 patients in the test group and 129 patients in the control group. At the control visit, the patients counselled by nurse practitioners had significantly lower levels of systolic blood pressure and cholesterol and practiced regular physical activity significantly more often than patients counselled by family physicians.

Nurse practitioners can be at least as successful as physicians when counselling patients on cardiovascular risk factors during their preventive check-ups.

This study showed that nurse practitioners have an important role in managing patients at the primary care level.