Cardiovascular risk detection and intervention in general practice: the patients' views

Objective. To assess patients' views on the organization of (cardiovascular ) preventive care. Design. Prospective questionnaire survey with measurements shortly after ri sk assessment (T-1) and after 1 year of risk intervention (T-2) Setting. Twenty-seven general practices participating in a project to enhan ce systematic cardiovascular disease prevention in two regions in The Nethe rlands. Study participants. Two-hundred and ninety-eight successive patients aged 3 0-60 years identified with an elevated cardiovascular risk. Main outcome measures. Organizational aspects such as the acceptability of the care provider, practicality of special clinics, accessibility of the pr actice for routine care. Results. Most of the respondents (74%) had no preference for a care provide r in cardiovascular preventive care and only a few patients (3%) reported h aving little confidence in the expertise of the practice assistant to provi de such care. The vast majority (88%) considered special preventive clinics to be practical, especially at T-1. Most of the respondents (76%) did not report a decline in the accessibility of their practice for routine care. T hese outcome measures were not affected by age, sex, educational level or t he number of risk factors measured during 1 year of risk intervention. Conclusion. Most patients did not have any major objections against the org anization of preventive care through opportunistic case finding and risk mo nitoring in special preventive clinics managed by the practice assistant.