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Impact of provision of cardiovascular disease risk estimates to healthcare professionals and patients: a systematic review

Usher-Smith, Juliet A., Silarova, Barbora, Schuit, Ewoud, Moons, Karel G.M., Griffin, Simon J. (2015) Impact of provision of cardiovascular disease risk estimates to healthcare professionals and patients: a systematic review. BMJ Open, 5 (10). Article Number e008717. E-ISSN 2044-6055. (doi:10.1136/BMJOPEN-2015-008717) (KAR id:98066)

Abstract

Objective: To systematically review whether the provision of information on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk to healthcare professionals and patients impacts their decision-making, behaviour and ultimately patient health. Design: A systematic review. Data sources: An electronic literature search of MEDLINE and PubMed from 01/01/2004 to 01/06/2013 with no language restriction and manual screening of reference lists of systematic reviews on similar topics and all included papers. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: (1) Primary research published in a peer-reviewed journal; (2) inclusion of participants with no history of CVD; (3) intervention strategy consisted of provision of a CVD risk model estimate to either professionals or patients; and (4) the only difference between the intervention group and control group (or the only intervention in the case of before-after studies) was the provision of a CVD risk model estimate. Results: After duplicates were removed, the initial electronic search identified 9671 papers. We screened 196 papers at title and abstract level and included 17 studies. The heterogeneity of the studies limited the analysis, but together they showed that provision of risk information to patients improved the accuracy of risk perception without decreasing quality of life or increasing anxiety, but had little effect on lifestyle. Providing risk information to physicians increased prescribing of lipid-lowering and blood pressure medication, with greatest effects in those with CVD risk >20 (relative risk for change in prescribing 2.13 (1.02 to 4.63) and 2.38 (1.11 to 5.10) respectively). Overall, there was a trend towards reductions in cholesterol and blood pressure and a statistically significant reduction in modelled CVD risk (-0.39 (-0.71 to -0.07)) after, on average, 12 months. Conclusions: There seems evidence that providing CVD risk model estimates to professionals and patients improves perceived CVD risk and medical prescribing, with little evidence of harm on psychological well-being. © 2015 BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2015-008717
Uncontrolled keywords: Anxiety; Blood Pressure; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cholesterol; Health Personnel; Humans; Patients; Primary Prevention; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Quality of Life; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Risk Assessment
Subjects: R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research > Personal Social Services Research Unit
Depositing User: George Austin-Coskry
Date Deposited: 17 Nov 2022 09:38 UTC
Last Modified: 22 Nov 2022 10:27 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/98066 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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