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RESEARCH PRODUCT

A cardiovascular educational intervention for primary care professionals in Spain: positive impact in a quasi-experimental study

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description

Background Routine general practice data collection can help identify patients at risk of cardiovascular disease. Aim To determine whether a training programme for primary care professionals improves the recording of cardiovascular disease risk factors in electronic health records. Design and setting A quasi-experimental study without random assignment of professionals. This was an educational intervention study, consisting of an online-classroom 1-year training programme, and carried out in the Valencian community in Spain. Method The prevalence rates of recording of cardiovascular factors (recorded every 6 months over a 4-year period) were compared between intervention and control group. Clinical relevance was calculated by absolute risk reduction (ARR), relative risk reduction (RRR), and number of patients needed-to-attend (NNA), to avoid under-recording, with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Linear regression models were used for each of the variables. Results Of the 941 professionals initially registered, 78.1% completed the programme. The ARR ranged from 1.87% (95% CI = 1.79 to 1.94) in the diagnosis of diabetes to 15.27% (95% CI = 15.14 to 15.40) in the recording of basal blood glucose. The NNA ranged from 7 in blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose recording to 54 in the diagnosis of diabetes. The RRR ranged from 26.7% in the diagnosis of diabetes to 177.1% in the recording of the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE). The rates of change were greater in the intervention group and the differences were significant for recording of cholesterol (P<0.001), basal blood glucose (P<0.001), smoking (P<0.001), alcohol (P<0.001), microalbuminuria (P = 0.001), abdominal circumference (P<0.001), and SCORE (P<0.001). Conclusion The education programme had a beneficial effect at the end of the follow-up that was significant and clinically relevant. We are grateful to Conselleria de Sanidad for allowing access to the ABUCASIS system and Antonio Fernandez who provided technical support during the study period.