Physicians' attitudes and adherence to use of risk scores for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: Cross-sectional survey in three world regions

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate physicians' attitudes and adherence to the use of risk scores in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Design and methods: A cross-sectional survey of 2056 physicians involved in the primary prevention of CVD. Participants included cardiologists (47%), general practitioners (42%), and endocrinologists (11%) from several geographical regions: Brazil (n = 968), USA (n = 381), Greece (n = 275), Chile (n = 157), Venezuela (n = 128), Portugal (n = 42), The Netherlands (n = 41), and Central America (Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador and Guatemala; n = 64). Results: The main outcome measure was the percentage of responses on a multiple-choice questionnaire describing a hypothetical asymptomatic patient at intermediate risk for CVD according to the Framingham Risk Score. Only 48% of respondents reported regular use of CVD risk scores to tailor preventive treatment in the case scenario. Of non-users, nearly three-quarters indicated that 'It takes up too mu