New European guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice

Abstract

Clinical practice guidelines require continuous reassessment in response to new knowledge that becomes available and to changes in the pattern of disease. Because of the burden of cardiovascular disease and the high rate of premature death in most European countries, preventive measures are essential in order to reduce the incidence of clinical events due to CVD and the associated healthcare costs. Disease prevention and health promotion are important tasks in the daily practice of all general practitioners (GPs) in Europe.' Two-thirds of the population visit their GP one or more times each year and 90% at least once every five years? Therefore, GPs are in an excellent position to assess cardiovascular risk when patients visit them for any reason. However, GPs may also be overwhelmed by the amount of literature they receive. A swey of 22 general practices in the UK found 855 different guidelines - a pile 68 cm high and weighing 28 kg.' This mass of paper represents a large amount of information in an unmanageable form that does little to aid decision-making. Therefore, it is imperative that GPs work with fewer, high-quality guidelines.