CARDIOVASCULAR TELEPHONE HOTLINE HEIDELBE RG - HALF YEAR EVALUATION

This cardiovascular information service was established by the German Hypertension League. It offers the lay public a source of generally in telligible information on questions relating to cardiovascular disease . Th experience gained by answering 2849 phone calls in six months cor roborates that the acceptance of nonpharmacological approaches must be further promoted particularly in the case of arterial hypertension. A part from supplementing explanations given by attending physicians the telephone provides an opportunity to communicate explicit information on diagnostic procedures and the basis of pharmacological treatment. An advantage of the telephone service is that sufficient time is avail able to clarify open questions, explain necessary treatment and reassu re callers. Furthermore, the phone service conveys in comprehensible f orm the problems related to prevention and early diagnosis of cardiova scular diseases to the lay public. In this way, an attempt is made to support the attending physicians in their task to improve patient comp liance without interfering with the doctor-patient relation. In cases of request for individual advice patients are always referred to the a ttending physicians.