Earlier intervention critical to improving CVD outcomes

Five key lessons for clinical practice have emerged from the recent Primary Care Cardiovascular Society (PCCS) annual meeting, providing practical opportunities for primary care teams to improve patient outcomes, reduce variation in care and support guideline-based management.

‘One of the strongest themes running through our conference and wider education programme was the opportunity for primary care teams to intervene earlier and more proactively,’ said Beverley Bostock, PCCS President and editor in chief of Practice Nurse.

‘Whether the discussion focused on hypertension, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, obesity, medication adherence or digital innovation, the emphasis was on translating evidence into action that clinicians can use in everyday practice.’

She added: ‘Cardiovascular prevention is increasingly a multidisciplinary endeavour. The ability of primary care teams to work collaboratively, engage patients as partners in their care and identify risk before events occur will be central to reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease across the UK.’

1. Prevention must begin earlier through data, risk stratification and proactive case finding

Speakers highlighted the growing role of primary care data in identifying cardiovascular risk before patients experience major clinical events. In line with national prevention strategies, they emphasised the importance of finding undiagnosed hypertension, chronic kidney disease and other cardiovascular risk factors before complications occur. The programme also highlighted the expanding use of digital health checks, home monitoring and targeted outreach to support earlier identification of people at increased risk.

The practical implication for primary care is clear: effective prevention increasingly depends on systematic case finding, risk stratification and making better use of routinely collected healthcare data.

2. Cardiovascular care must move beyond isolated conditions towards integrated CKM management

A recurring theme was the need to view cardiovascular disease through a broader cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) lens.

Sessions exploring chronic kidney disease, peripheral arterial disease, women's cardiovascular health and innovation in care delivery highlighted how multiple conditions interact to influence overall cardiovascular risk. Speakers emphasised that patients with chronic kidney disease frequently experience cardiovascular complications and that important risk factors, including women-specific cardiovascular risks, can still be overlooked.

The message for clinicians was that management decisions should increasingly consider the patient's overall risk profile rather than addressing individual disease areas in isolation. This integrated approach supports more holistic prevention and long-term risk reduction.

3. Successful cardiovascular prevention depends on patient partnership, not prescribing alone

Discussions around obesity management and GLP-1 therapies stressed that medicines could support health improvement but were not a substitute for sustainable lifestyle change, behavioural support and long-term engagement. Sessions on hypertension and medication adherence reinforced the importance of motivational interviewing, shared decision-making and understanding the real-world factors influencing treatment behaviours.

Speakers noted that medication non-adherence remains common, with World Health Organization estimates suggesting that between 30% and 50% of people receiving long-term therapies experience adherence challenges. PCCS educational sessions highlighted practical behavioural approaches, including use of the COM-B framework – a combination of Capability, Opportunity and Motivation to motivate behavioural change, and identifying barriers and supporting long-term treatment engagement.

The meeting heard improving cardiovascular outcomes requires an ongoing partnership between clinicians and patients rather than a sole focus on prescribing decisions.

4. Team-based models of care are essential to meet growing demand

Workforce pressures and increasing clinical complexity featured prominently.

Examples shared by speakers demonstrated how risk stratification, structured pathways, treatment optimisation and proactive population management can be delivered through multidisciplinary teams. Nurses, pharmacists, GPs and other healthcare professionals all have important roles within sustainable cardiovascular pathways.

Discussions on hypertension, heart failure and national cardiovascular strategies highlighted the need for care to move closer to patients while making best use of available workforce skills. Speakers also acknowledged ongoing capacity challenges across the NHS, particularly in diagnostics and community services. Heart failure discussions reinforced the importance of earlier community diagnosis, with evidence presented showing substantially better outcomes when diagnosis occurs in community settings rather than following acute admission.

5. Digital health and home monitoring are becoming core components of cardiovascular prevention

Digital tools were presented not as standalone innovations but as practical enablers of scalable prevention.

Sessions highlighted the increasing role of home blood pressure monitoring, remote monitoring programmes, digital health checks and emerging AI-supported diagnostics. Speakers described expanding digital prevention initiatives and learning healthcare models that connect routine care delivery with evidence generation.

However, presenters also emphasised successful implementation depends on trust, clinical oversight and integration within established care pathways. The consensus view was that digital technologies can increase capacity and support better outcomes when used to enhance, rather than replace, evidence-based clinical care.

Further educational resources, session recordings and cardiovascular learning materials are available through the PCCS education programme.