ASSESSMENT OF CORONARY HEART-DISEASE RISK .1. A POSTAL INQUIRY AMONG PRIMARY-CARE PHYSICIANS

The purpose of the present study was to examine general practitioners' abilities to make a correct estimation of the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A 10% random sample of Norwegian primary care physician s (n = 288) received a questionnaire that presented 10 case histories containing information about five CHD risk factors. The respondents' r isk estimation was compared with a composite score computed from epide miologic data. The observed general tendency was towards underestimati ng the CHD risk. However, 'high-risk' histories were recognized as CHD risk persons. Assessment of CHD risk due to multiple marginal abnorma lities was only exceptionally correct. Hypercholesterolaemia and hyper tension in men were acknowledged as contributing to clinically signifi cant CHD risk only by a minority of GPs. Heavy smoking and a positive family history were associated with a more accurate estimation of CHD risk. Forty per cent of the physicians did not recognize the sex depen dency of cholesterol as a CHD risk factor. None of the physician chara cteristics could predict variation in correct risk assessment.