Factors influencing general practitioners decisions about cardiovascular disease risk reassessment: findings from experimental and interview studies

Abstract

A recent test of electrolytes, liver function and renal function was normal. [bullet] BMI: 27 [bullet] Past medical history: nil of note [bullet] Family history: mother died of bowel cancer, nil family history of ischaemic heart disease [bullet] Social history: married, lives at home [bullet] Ethnicity: Caucasian Patient case category Individual risk (IR) Absolute Risk (IR) A (high IR, lower AR) High (either blood pressure or cholesterol) Lower (?15 %) Ai High (blood pressure only - systolic blood pressure [SBP] ?147 mmHg Lower (?15 %) Aii High (cholesterol only - total cholesterol/HDL ratio [TC/HDL] ?6.5 mmol/L Lower (?15 %) B (high IR, high AR) High (SBP ? Abbreviations AR, absolute risk; BMI, body mass index; CVD, cardiovascular disease; GEE, generalised estimation equation; GP, general practitioner; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; IR, individual risk; SBP, systolic blood pressure; TC, total cholesterol Declarations Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the General Practitioners who participated in both studies, Kristen Pickles for assisting with data collection and preliminary analysis, and Adam McSorley for assistance with data management.