Target heart screening - new study

Tuesday November 8th, 2016

Heart screening programmes could be effective by targeting just 12% of the population, researchers have claimed.

The research at Birmingham University, UK, is a fresh challenge to programmes such as the NHS Health Check, which seeks to screen all adults over the age of 40.

The researchers say it should be possible to identify high risk patients through GP records.

This would be done using basic information such as age, gender and smoking habits, of the kind used by the on-line Qrisk calculator.

The researchers reported the outcomes of a range of simulations involving a group of 10,000 patients aged between 30 and 74.

They say that after the first 8% of highest risk patients, very few would need treatment, meaning diminishing returns from screening.

The findings have been reported in the British Journal of General Practice.

Researcher Professor Tom Marshall said: "Our findings highlight the need to re-evaluate existing screening programmes, which may not be the best use of staff time.

"A focused screening programme targeted on those at highest risk, rather than everyone aged over 40, would result in significant cost savings for the NHS while retaining the most of the health benefits.

"Our research also raises the question of whether other mass screening programmes might be better targeted."

Crossan et al. Cost effectiveness of case-finding strategies for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: a modelling study. Br J Gen Practice 8 November 2016; doi:10.3399/bjgp16X687973 [abstract]

Tags: Elderly Health | Heart Health | NHS | UK News

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