Primary care doctors face a backlog of patients in need of preventative and chronic disease related cardiovascular care. Even during a period of competing priorities, the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease has never been so critical.
Chaired by Prof Garry Jennings, Chief Medical Advisor of the Heart Foundation of Australia, our expert panel explore the latest evidence to support CVD risk assessment and management in primary care, including the latest on coronary artery calcium scoring.
Duration:Â 1 hour
Year recorded:Â 2021
Topics covered:
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted cardiovascular health?
What novel strategies are emerging in clinical practice that complement the absolute CVD risk approach?
What factors help re-classify an individual's CVD risk (e.g. coronary artery calcium imaging and female specific risk factors)
What can general practices do to champion CVD prevention and opportunistically leverage increased patient engagement during the vaccine rollout?
Associate Professor @John Hopkins University
Dr. Erin Michos is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, with joint appointment in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is the Director of Women’s Cardiovascular Heath and the Associate Director of Preventive Cardiology. Dr. Michos is also the co-Editor in Chief for the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology and has authored over 400 publications herself. Her research has focused on (1) cardiovascular disease prevention among women; (2) coronary artery calcium, inflammation and other novel biomarkers of cardiovascular risk prediction; (3) lipids and lipid treatment; (4) cardio-metabolic diseases and (5) vitamin D, calcium, and other supplements.
Associate Professor @University of Melbourne
GP for over 30 years, currently working in general practices in Fitzroy & North Carlton, Ralph’s expertise as an advocate for best practice in management of chronic health disease is extensive. An Honorary Research Fellow with University of Melbourne, he has published extensively and has been actively teaching practice nurses and general practitioners around the evidenced based clinical management of diabetes and heart disease. Much of his work promoting primary health care has been in partnership with LHN’s, PHN’s, Diabetes Australia Vic, Cancer Vic and the National Heart Foundation.
Practice Nurse @Vitality Works
Siobhan is currently a team leader and vaccinator for the COVID-19 Residential Aged Care Facility vaccination roll-out in Western Australia. She is a passionate practice nurse with varied experience in general practice, including involvement in nurse-led clinics, chronic health management, health assessments and quality improvement activities. Siobhan has a strong interest in CVD prevention and has experience implementing systematic cardiac risk screening in general practice.
Chapman N, Otahal P, Bonner C, Nelson MR, Sharman E. Uptake of the Australian Heart Health Check before and after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Aust J Gen Pract. 2023 Apr;52(4):226-233. doi: 10.31128/AJGP-01-23-6680. PMID: 37021449.
The new 2023 Australian Guideline for assessing and managing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk provides the latest evidence, practical advice and tools for CVD risk assessment and management in primary care.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death worldwide and a major contributor to reduced quality of life.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death worldwide and a major contributor to reduced quality of life. Clinical decision making for the detection, management and prevention of CVD relies on accurate risk assessment. Local and international guidelines currently advocate for measurement of traditional CVD risk factors with use of a validated risk prediction tool.
Last updated12 January 2024