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Background: Most cardiovascular disease risk prediction equations in use today were derived from cohorts established last century and with participants at higher risk but less socioeconomically and ethnically diverse than patients they are now applied to. We recruited a nationally representative cohort in New Zealand to develop equations relevant to patients in contemporary primary care and compared the performance of these new equations to equations that are recommended in the USA., Methods: The PREDICT study automatically recruits participants in routine primary care when general practitioners in New Zealand use PREDICT software to assess their patients' risk profiles for cardiovascular disease, which are prospectively linked to national ICD-coded hospitalisation and mortality databases. The study population included male and female patients in primary care who had no prior cardiovascular disease, renal disease, or congestive heart failure. New equations predicting total cardiovascular disease risk were developed using Cox regression models, which included clinical predictors plus an area-based deprivation index and self-identified ethnicity. Calibration and discrimination performance of the equations were assessed and compared with 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Pooled Cohort Equations (PCEs). The additional predictors included in new PREDICT equations were also appended to the PCEs to determine whether they were independent predictors in the equations from the USA., Findings: Outcome events were derived for 401 752 people aged 30-74 years at the time of their first PREDICT risk assessment between Aug 27, 2002, and Oct 12, 2015, representing about 90% of the eligible population. The mean follow-up was 4·2 years, and a third of participants were followed for 5 years or more. 15 386 (4%) people had cardiovascular disease events (1507 [10%] were fatal, and 8549 [56%] met the PCEs definition of hard atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease) during 1 685 521 person-years follow-up. The median 5-year risk of total cardiovascular disease events predicted by the new equations was 2·3% in women and 3·2% in men. Multivariable adjusted risk increased by about 10% per quintile of socioeconomic deprivation. Māori, Pacific, and Indian patients were at 13-48% higher risk of cardiovascular disease than Europeans, and Chinese or other Asians were at 25-33% lower risk of cardiovascular disease than Europeans. The PCEs overestimated of hard atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by about 40% in men and by 60% in women, and the additional predictors in the new equations were also independent predictors in the PCEs. The new equations were significantly better than PCEs on all performance metrics., Interpretation: We constructed a large prospective cohort study representing typical patients in primary care in New Zealand who were recommended for cardiovascular disease risk assessment. Most patients are now at low risk of cardiovascular disease, which explains why the PCEs based mainly on old cohorts substantially overestimate risk. Although the PCEs and many other equations will need to be recalibrated to mitigate overtreatment of the healthy majority, they also need new predictors that include measures of socioeconomic deprivation and multiple ethnicities to identify vulnerable high-risk subpopulations that might otherwise be undertreated., Funding: Health Research Council of New Zealand, Heart Foundation of New Zealand, and Healthier Lives National Science Challenge., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Hospital-acquired thrombosis (HAT) is a leading cause of preventable death and disability worldwide. HAT includes any venous thromboembolic (VTE) event occurring in-hospital or within 90-days of hospitalisation. Despite availability of evidence-based guidelines for HAT risk assessment and prophylaxis, guidelines are still underutilised. Aim: To determine the proportion of patients who developed HAT that could have been potentially prevented with appropriate VTE risk assessment and prophylaxis at a large public hospital in New Zealand. Additionally, the predictors of VTE risk assessment and thromboprophylaxis were examined. Method: VTE patients admitted under general medicine, reablement, general surgery, or orthopaedic surgery service were identified using ICD-10-AM codes. Data were collected on patient characteristics, VTE risk factors, and the thromboprophylaxis regimen prescribed. The hospital VTE guidelines were used to determine rates of VTE risk assessment and the appropriateness of thromboprophylaxis. Results: Of 1302 VTE patients, 213 HATs were identified. Of these, 116 (54%) received VTE risk assessment, and 98 (46%) received thromboprophylaxis. Patients who received VTE risk assessment were 15 times more likely to receive thromboprophylaxis (odds ratio [OR] = 15.4; 95% CI 7.65–30.98) and 2.8 times more likely to receive appropriate thromboprophylaxis (OR = 2.79; 95% CI 1.59–4.89). Conclusion: A large proportion of high-risk patients who were admitted to medical, general surgery and reablement services and who developed HAT did not receive VTE risk assessment and thromboprophylaxis during their index admission, demonstrating a significant gap between guideline recommendations and clinical practice. Implementing mandatory VTE risk assessment and adherence to guidelines to improve thromboprophylaxis prescription in hospitalised patients may help reduce the burden of HAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with serious mental illness have higher rates of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease. This study describes health practitioners' views on their role and confidence assessing and managing cardiovascular risk. The key findings were of a widespread acknowledgement of the need to undertake systematic risk assessment and offer structured approaches to risk factor management. Barriers of client engagement, lack of good systems and poor information sharing between primary and secondary care providers were identified. Solutions discussed included a collaborative care model or the integration of physical health services, perhaps a general practitioner-led clinic, within the secondary care setting. Whilst there is a need to identify an optimal care model there is an even greater need to take some rather than no action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe a metabolic risk assessment programme that was established by community mental health teams working within one locality of a District Health Board in Auckland. Conclusions: Physical health disparities between people with serious mental illness and the general population are of great concern. We have described a systematic way to engage with clients about the prevention of two important contributors to these disparities: cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. Around 15% of all adult service users of the mental health service in the locality attended this metabolic risk assessment clinic in the first 12 months of its operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study is to understand the barriers and resulting solutions encountered by mental health service staff during the implementation of a metabolic risk assessment programme. Method: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were held with key programme staff. Thematic analysis was performed on the resulting data. Results: Barriers identified included an existing mindset that care of service users’ physical health is not part of Mental Health Service ‘core business’; the lack of processes that ensure consistent implementation of risk assessment; and lack of resources in terms of equipment and staff time/manpower. Solutions identified were categorized as: systems and process issues; staff training or education issues; issues requiring attention at an organizational level; and issues relating to service users, their family and communities. Conclusions: A valuable programme that contributes to the improved physical health of service users has been developed and implemented. However, a number of barriers to wider adoption were identified. Solutions to a number of these barriers were identified during implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]