Older peoples' views on cardiovascular disease medication: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence for the potential benefits and harms of cardiovascular disease (CVD) medications in older people (>75 years) prompting updating of clinical guidelines. We explored the views of older people about CVD medication to inform guideline development. METHODS: Qualitative study using semistructured interviews and focus groups. An ethnically diverse group of community dwelling older people were purposefully recruited from northern New Zealand using flyers in primary care clinics, local libraries, social groups, and places of worship, and by word of mouth. Interviews and focus groups were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using an iterative and inductive approach to thematic analysis. RESULTS: Thirty-nine participants from 4 ethnic groups were recruited (mean 74 years; range 61-91 years; Maori (7), South Asian (8), European (9), and Pasifika (15)). Most participants were taking CVD medication/s. Four main themes emerged: (i) emphasizing the benefits of CVD medication and downplaying the harms; (ii) feeling compelled to take medication; (iii) trusting "my" doctor; and (iv) expecting medication to be continued. CONCLUSION: Findings raise questions about older people's agency in decision-making regarding CVD medication. CVD risk management guidelines for older people could include strategies to support effective communication of the potential benefits and harms of CVD medication in older people, balancing life expectancy, and the expected duration of therapy.

We explored the views of older people about cardiovascular disease (CVD) medication. Qualitative study using semistructured interviews and focus groups. An ethnically diverse group of community dwelling older people were purposefully recruited from northern New Zealand. Interviews and focus groups were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed. Thirty-nine participants from 4 ethnic groups were recruited (mean 74 years; range 61­91 years; Maori (7), South Asian (8), European (9), and Pasifika (15)). Most participants were taking CVD medication/s. Participants emphasized the benefits of medication and downplayed the harms; they did not want to take medication but felt compelled to; they trusted their doctor to know best regarding medication; and they believed their doctor wanted them to keep taking medication. Findings raise questions about older people's agency in decision-making regarding medication. Work is needed to identify strategies to support effective communication of the potential benefits and harms of medication in older people, balancing life expectancy, and the expected duration of therapy.

Perineal trauma management and follow-up: Are we meeting the standard of care?

BACKGROUND: Birth-related third- and fourth-degree perineal trauma is common and associated with short- and long-term complications. AIM: To conduct a review of clinical audits investigating management of women with perineal trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified all audits undertaken in eight New Zealand public hospitals between 2005 and 2014 that investigated whether women with birth-related third- and fourth-degree perineal trauma were receiving care according to clinical guidelines. We aggregated audit results and calculated the proportion of women receiving the recommended standard of care. RESULTS: During the review period, 25 audits investigated intra-operative (n = 11), post-operative (n = 14) and outpatient care (n = 18). Baseline audits showed variation in care by site; intra-operative care (range 39-96% for repair conducted under anaesthesia, 60-96% for repair by or under supervision of a senior clinician, and 33-54% for completion of Accident Compensation Corporation forms); post-operative care (range 40-93% for prescribed antibiotics and 33-96% for stool softeners) and outpatient care (45-84% for referral to outpatient clinic and 54-78% for physiotherapy follow-up). Sustained high quality of care and improvements in adherence with recommendations were seen for most of the follow-up audits (eg 90% adherence for prescribed stool softeners over three audits; over 50% increase in prescribed antibiotics over seven years). CONCLUSIONS: These clinical audits exemplify the need to measure patient care against standards, learn from the findings, implement changes to improve patient experience and reduce life-long sequelae from perineal trauma. This review showed some progress in some care services and highlighted where further changes are needed to close evidence-practice gaps.

Recent Development of Visceral Leishmaniasis Treatments: Successes, Pitfalls, and Perspectives.

Research in visceral leishmaniasis in the last decade has been focused on how better to use the existing medicines as monotherapy or in combination. Systematic research by geographical regions has shown that a universal treatment is far from today's reality. Substantial progress has been made in the elimination of kala-azar in South Asia, with a clear strategy on first- and second-line therapy options of single-dose liposomal amphotericin B and a combination of paromomycin and miltefosine, respectively, among other interventions. In Eastern Africa, sodium stibogluconate (SSG) and paromomycin in combination offer an advantage compared to the previous SSG monotherapy, although not exempted of limitations, as this therapy requires 17 days of painful double injections and bears the risk of SSG-related cardiotoxicity. In this region, attempts to improve the combination therapy have been unsuccessful. However, pharmacokinetic studies have led to a better understanding of underlying mechanisms, like the underexposure of children to miltefosine treatment, and an improved regimen using an allometric dosage. Given this global scenario of progress and pitfalls, we here review what steps need to be taken with existing medicines and highlight the urgent need for oral drugs. Furthermore, it should be noted that six candidates belonging to five new chemical classes are reaching phase I, ensuring an optimistic near future.

Time to cranial computerised tomography for acute traumatic brain injury in paediatric patients: Effect of the shorter stays in emergency departments target in New Zealand.

AIM: Timely access to computerised tomography (CT) for acute traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) facilitates rapid diagnosis and surgical intervention. In 2009, New Zealand introduced a mandatory target for emergency department (ED) stay such that 95% of patients should leave ED within 6 h of arrival. This study investigated whether this target influenced the timeliness of cranial CT scanning in children who presented to ED with acute TBI. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a random sample of charts of children <15 years with acute TBI from 2006 to 2012. Cases were identified using International Classification of Disease 10 codes consistent with TBI. General linear models investigated changes in time to CT and other indicators before and after the shorter stays in ED target was introduced in 2009. RESULTS: Among the 190 cases eligible for study (n = 91 pre-target and n = 99 post-target), no significant difference was found in time to CT scan pre- and post-target: least squares mean (LSM) with 95% confidence interval = 68 (56-81) versus 65 (53-78) min, respectively, P = 0.66. Time to neurosurgery (LSM 8.7 (5-15) vs. 5.1 (2.6-9.9) h, P = 0.19, or hospital length of stay (LSM: 4.9 (3.9-6.3) vs. 5.2 (4.1-6.7) days, P = 0.69) did not change significantly. However, ED length of stay decreased by 45 min in the post-target period (LSM = 211 (187-238) vs. 166 (98-160) min, P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: Implementation of the shorter stays in ED target was not associated with a change in the time to CT for children presenting with acute TBI, but an overall reduction in the time spent in ED was apparent.

Cultural adaptations to augment health and mental health services: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Membership in diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural groups is often associated with inequitable health and mental health outcomes for diverse populations. Yet, little is known about how cultural adaptations of standard services affect health and mental health outcomes for service recipients. This systematic review identified extant themes in the research regarding cultural adaptations across a broad range of health and mental health services and synthesized the most rigorous experimental research available to isolate and evaluate potential efficacy gains of cultural adaptations to service delivery. METHODS: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, and grey literature sources were searched for English-language studies published between January 1955 and January 2015. Cultural adaptations to any aspect of a service delivery were considered. Outcomes of interest included changes in service provider behavior or changes in the behavioral, medical, or self-reported experience of recipients. RESULTS: Thirty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. The most frequently tested adaptation occurred in preventive services and consisted of modifying the content of materials or services delivered. None of the included studies focused on making changes in the provider's behavior. Many different populations were studied but most research was concerned with the experiences and outcomes of African Americans. Seventeen of the 31 retained studies observed at least one significant effect in favor of a culturally adapted service. However there were also findings that favored the control group or showed no difference. Researchers did not find consistent evidence supporting implementation of any specific type of adaptation nor increased efficacy with any particular cultural group. CONCLUSIONS: Conceptual frameworks to classify cultural adaptations and their resultant health/mental health outcomes were developed and applied in a variety of ways. This review synthesizes the most rigorous research in the field and identifies implications for policy, practice, and research, including individualization, cost considerations, and patient or client satisfaction, among others.

Is the delivery of a quality improvement education programme in obstetrics and gynaecology for final year medical students feasible and still effective in a shortened time frame?

BACKGROUND: Teaching clinical audit skills to nascent health professionals is one strategy to improve frontline care. The undergraduate medical curriculum at the University of Auckland provides improvement science theory and skills in Year 5 teaching, and the opportunity to put this into practice during an Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) clinical attachment in Year 6. In 2015, a revised medical school curriculum at the university resulted in a planned reduction of the O&G attachment from five weeks to four, necessitating revision of the Year 6 Quality Improvement (QI) project. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the revised programme provided an important experiential learning opportunity for medical students without imposing an unsustainable burden on clinical services. METHODS: Based on a CIPP (Context/Input/Process/Product) evaluation model, the study was conducted in several stages to get a sense of the context as the new programme was being planned (Context evaluation), the feasibility of an alternative approach to meet the educational need (Input evaluation), the implementation of the revised programme (Process evaluation) and finally, the programme outcomes (Product evaluation). We used multiple data sources (supervisors, students, academic administrators, and hospital staff) and data collection methods (questionnaires, focus groups, individual interviews, consultative workshops, student reports and oral presentations). RESULTS: The context evaluation revealed the Year 6 QI programme to be valuable and contributed to O&G service improvements, however, the following concerns were identified: time to complete the project, timely topic selection and access to data, recognition of student achievement, and staff workload. The evaluation of the revised QI project indicated improvement in student perceptions of their QI knowledge and skills, and most areas previously identified as challenging, despite the concurrent reduction in the duration of the O&G attachment. CONCLUSIONS: Applying the CIPP model for evaluation to our revised QI programme enabled streamlining of procedures to achieve greater efficiency without compromising the quality of the learning experience, or increasing pressure on staff. A four week clinical rotation is adequate for medical educators to consider opportunities for including QI projects as part of student experiential learning.

The effect of the Shorter Stays in Emergency Departments health target on the quality of ED discharge summaries.

OBJECTIVE: Time targets for ED stays are used as a policy instrument to reduce ED crowding. There is debate whether such policies are helpful or harmful, as focus on a process target may divert attention from clinical care. The objective of this study is to investigate whether the Shorter Stays in Emergency Departments target in New Zealand was associated with a change in the quality of ED discharge information provided to primary care providers. METHODS: The quality of discharge summaries was assessed retrospectively over time using chart review. Logistic regression was used to account for secular trends with adequate or not as the dependent variable. Explanatory variables were: age, ethnicity, deprivation, triage category, year, the step at target introduction (2009) and the change in slope before and after the target. RESULTS: Of 500 randomly selected discharge summaries, 491 (98.2%) were included in the analysis. There was evidence of a decrease over time in the proportion of adequate discharge summaries before the introduction of the target (slope estimate (SE) -0.43 (0.20), p=0.02). A step at the target introduction could not be shown (p=0.47). There was evidence of an improvement over time from pre-target to post-target: slope afterwards 0.33, estimate of change in slope (SE) 0.76 (0.27), p=0.006. CONCLUSIONS: There was no reduction in the quality of discharge summaries following the introduction of the shorter stays in ED target and trends in quality improved. These findings deserve replication in other hospitals which may experience different challenges.

Ethnic Differences in Coronary Revascularisation following an Acute Coronary Syndrome in New Zealand: A National Data-linkage Study (ANZACS-QI 12).

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe ethnic differences in angiography and revascularisation rates following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in New Zealand. METHODS: National hospitalisation and mortality data were anonymously linked to determine receipt of angiography and revascularisation for 30-84 year-olds hospitalised with ACS between 2007 and 2012. Multilevel Cox regression, accounting for individual factors and admitting hospital, was used to estimate adjusted procedural rates within 30 days of admission. RESULTS: Of the 50,324 ACS patients included, 10% were Maori, 4% Pacific, 3% Indian and 83% New Zealand European or Other ethnicities (NZEO). A larger proportion of Maori (48%) than NZEO (36%), Pacific (19%) and Indian (14%) patients were admitted to hospitals without catheterisation facilities. More Maori and Pacific (22-24%) than NZEO and Indian patients (12-13%) had severe comorbidities. Maori and Pacific were less likely than NZEO patients to receive angiography (adjusted HRs 0.94 [0.91-0.98] and 0.93 [0.87-0.98] respectively) and revascularisation (adjusted HRs 0.79 [0.75-0.83] and 0.77 [0.71-0.83]), even after adjusting for important demographic and clinical factors. CONCLUSIONS: A higher comorbidity burden in Maori and Pacific patients and reduced access to catheterisation facilities for non-urban Maori contributed to lower procedure rates after ACS admission. Ethnic differences remained after adjustment for these factors and require further investigation.

Hospitals should be exemplars of healthy workplaces.

As major employers and flagship health care organisations, hospitals can influence the norms of the communities they serve by adopting model policies and practices that promote the health of patients, visitors, employees, students and trainees. Hospitals must become healthy workplaces in every sense and extend their role to focus on health and wellness, not just illness. Reorienting hospital policies can: ensure the provision and stewardship of healthy, ecologically sound and sustainable environments; increase the focus on promoting health and prevention; foster interpersonal safety; and improve workplace safety. Such efforts deliver improvements in health outcomes and savings in hospital budgets.

Can we learn anything from health care in the United States?

Some aspects of health care in the United States would be beneficial to Australia and New Zealand, but others should be avoided. Positive aspects, which should be emulated, include: •health care reform that is focused on the continuum of care and patient-centred care •trials of new models to organise, deliver and pay for health care services, where quality of care is rewarded over quantity of services •an integral view of, and strong support for, health services research as a means of evaluating reforms aimed at improving patient outcomes and systems-level efficiencies •physician engagement in reforms--for example, participating in the Choosing Wisely initiative, and trialling and implementing new payment models that are not fee-for-service. Negative aspects, which should be avoided, include: •increasingly fragmented provider and financing structures (funding provided by state and federal governments, private insurance and out-of-pocket costs) that cause frustration in terms of access and care coordination and increase administrative waste •an overemphasis on technological solutions, with insufficient acknowledgment of the importance of addressing value in health care •a focus on hospital and doctor-based health care rather than environmental and social inputs into health.

The 12-lead ECG in the emergency medical service setting: how electrode placement and paramedic gender are experienced by women.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore women's attitudes to precordial electrode placement and 12-lead ECG acquisition in the emergency medical service setting. METHOD: Fifty participants were recruited from university campuses. Demographic data were collected and two ECGs were recorded: one with precordial electrodes positioned on the breast and one with the electrodes under the breast. Participants' attitudes to electrode placement and ECG acquisition were explored in a second questionnaire. RESULTS: Twenty-six participants (52%) preferred to have the electrodes placed on their breast, 19 (38%) were indifferent between the two placements and 5 (10%) preferred siting under the breast. 94% of the participants stated they would consent to a prehospital ECG irrespective of the gender of the paramedic crew, and all reported they would have the investigation if it facilitated definitive treatment, even if the paramedic was male. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of participants preferred electrode placement on the breast and would consent to ECG acquisition irrespective of the gender of the operator. It is possible that paramedics are more concerned with the acceptability of acquiring an ECG than women are themselves.

Development and validation of cardiovascular risk prediction equations in 76 000 people with known cardiovascular disease.

AIMS: Multiple health administrative databases can be individually linked in Aotearoa New Zealand, using encrypted identifiers. These databases were used to develop cardiovascular risk prediction equations for patients with known cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS AND RESULTS: Administrative health databases were linked to identify all people aged 18-84 years with known CVD, living in Auckland and Northland, Aotearoa New Zealand, on 1 January 2014. The cohort was followed until study outcome, death, or 5 years. The study outcome was death or hospitalization due to ischaemic heart disease, stroke, heart failure, or peripheral vascular disease. Sex-specific 5-year CVD risk prediction equations were developed using multivariable Fine and Gray models. A total of 43 862 men {median age: 67 years [interquartile range (IQR): 59-75]} and 32 724 women [median age: 70 years (IQR: 60-77)] had 14 252 and 9551 cardiovascular events, respectively. Equations were well calibrated with good discrimination. Increasing age and deprivation, recent cardiovascular hospitalization, Mori ethnicity, smoking history, heart failure, diabetes, chronic renal disease, atrial fibrillation, use of blood pressure lowering and anti-thrombotic drugs, haemoglobin A1c, total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol, and creatinine were statistically significant independent predictors of the study outcome. Fourteen per cent of men and 23% of women had predicted 5-year cardiovascular risk <15%, while 28 and 24% had ≥40% risk. CONCLUSION: Robust cardiovascular risk prediction equations were developed from linked routine health databases, a currently underutilized resource worldwide. The marked heterogeneity demonstrated in predicted risk suggests that preventive therapy in people with known CVD would be better informed by risk stratification beyond a one-size-fits-all high-risk categorization.

Using regionwide New Zealand health databases, methods of predicting hospitalization risk in patients with existing heart disease were developed. Using only data from health databases, it was possible to predict the risk accurately.Among patients with existing heart disease, the predicted risk varied markedly which could help improve preventive strategies.

Treatment drop-in in a contemporary cohort used to derive cardiovascular risk prediction equations.

BACKGROUND: No routinely recommended cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction equations have adjusted for CVD preventive medications initiated during follow-up (treatment drop-in) in their derivation cohorts. This will lead to underestimation of risk when equations are applied in clinical practice if treatment drop-in is common. We aimed to quantify the treatment drop-in in a large contemporary national cohort to determine whether equations are likely to require adjustment. METHODS: Eight de-identified individual-level national health administrative datasets in Aotearoa New Zealand were linked to establish a cohort of almost all New Zealanders without CVD and aged 30-74 years in 2006. Individuals dispensing blood-pressure-lowering and/or lipid-lowering medications between 1 July 2006 and 31 December 2006 (baseline dispensing), and in each 6-month period during 12 years' follow-up to 31 December 2018 (follow-up dispensing), were identified. Person-years of treatment drop-in were determined. RESULTS: A total of 1 399 348 (80%) out of the 1 746 695 individuals in the cohort were not dispensed CVD medications at baseline. Blood-pressure-lowering and/or lipid-lowering treatment drop-in accounted for 14% of follow-up time in the group untreated at baseline and increased significantly with increasing predicted baseline 5-year CVD risk (12%, 31%, 34% and 37% in <5%, 5-9%, 10-14% and ≥15% risk groups, respectively) and with increasing age (8% in 30-44 year-olds to 30% in 60-74 year-olds). CONCLUSIONS: CVD preventive treatment drop-in accounted for approximately one-third of follow-up time among participants typically eligible for preventive treatment (≥5% 5-year predicted risk). Equations derived from cohorts with long-term follow-up that do not adjust for treatment drop-in effect will underestimate CVD risk in higher risk individuals and lead to undertreatment. Future CVD risk prediction studies need to address this potential flaw.

The story of artesunate-mefloquine (ASMQ), innovative partnerships in drug development: case study.

BACKGROUND: The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a not-for profit organization committed to providing affordable medicines and access to treatments in resource-poor settings. Traditionally drug development has happened "in house" within pharmaceutical companies, with research and development costs ultimately recuperated through drug sales. The development of drugs for the treatment of neglected tropical diseases requires a completely different model that goes beyond the scope of market-driven research and development. Artesunate and mefloquine are well-established drugs for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria, with a strong safety record based on many years of field-based studies and use. The administration of such artemisinin-based combination therapy in a fixed-dose combination is expected to improve patient compliance and to reduce the risk of emerging drug resistance. CASE DESCRIPTION: DNDi developed an innovative approach to drug development, reliant on strong collaborations with a wide range of partners from the commercial world, academia, government institutions and NGOs, each of which had a specific role to play in the development of a fixed dose combination of artesunate and mefloquine. DISCUSSION AND EVALUATION: DNDi undertook the development of a fixed-dose combination of artesunate with mefloquine. Partnerships were formed across five continents, addressing formulation, control and production through to clinical trials and product registration, resulting in a safe and efficacious fixed dose combination treatment which is now available to treat patients in resource-poor settings. The south-south technology transfer of production from Farmanguinhos/Fiocruz in Brazil to Cipla Ltd in India was the first of its kind. Of additional benefit was the increased capacity within the knowledge base and infrastructure in developing countries. CONCLUSIONS: This collaborative approach to drug development involving international partnerships and independent funding mechanisms is a powerful new way to develop drugs for tropical diseases.

Implementing performance improvement in New Zealand emergency departments: the six hour time target policy national research project protocol.

BACKGROUND: In May 2009, the New Zealand government announced a new policy aimed at improving the quality of Emergency Department care and whole hospital performance. Governments have increasingly looked to time targets as a mechanism for improving hospital performance and from a whole system perspective, using the Emergency Department waiting time as a performance measure has the potential to see improvements in the wider health system. However, the imposition of targets may have significant adverse consequences. There is little empirical work examining how the performance of the wider hospital system is affected by such a target. This project aims to answer the following questions: How has the introduction of the target affected broader hospital performance over time, and what accounts for these changes? Which initiatives and strategies have been successful in moving hospitals towards the target without compromising the quality of other care processes and patient outcomes? Is there a difference in outcomes between different ethnic and age groups? Which initiatives and strategies have the greatest potential to be transferred across organisational contexts? METHODS/DESIGN: The study design is mixed methods; combining qualitative research into the behaviour and practices of specific case study hospitals with quantitative data on clinical outcomes and process measures of performance over the period 2006-2012. All research activity is guided by a Kaupapa Maori Research methodological approach. A dynamic systems model of acute patient flows was created to frame the study. Consequences of the target (positive and negative) will be explored by integrating analyses and insights gained from the quantitative and qualitative streams of the study. DISCUSSION: At the time of submission of this protocol, the project has been underway for 12 months. This time was necessary to finalise both the case study sites and the secondary outcomes through key stakeholder consultation. We believe that this is an appropriate juncture to publish the protocol, now that the sites and final outcomes to be measured have been determined.

Values add value: an online tool enhances postgraduate evidence-based practice learning.

BACKGROUND: To better prepare practitioners for the complex world of clinical decision-making, teaching evidence-based practice needs to move beyond its focus on skills and knowledge to give students an experience and understanding of applying evidence in practice. AIM: To explore whether incorporating an online values-based tool enhanced learning in a post graduate epidemiology course. METHODS: Having completed a critical appraisal of an epidemiological study, students were asked to then respond to a case scenario, using the analytical frameworks of the Values-Exchange, a software tool that highlights ethical domains in decision-making. The student experience of the Values-Exchange was evaluated using focus groups. Sessions were audiotaped and transcribed. In total, 613 responses were analysed by two independent coders to identify emergent themes. RESULTS: Three main themes emerged: (1) the Values-Exchange exposed students to new concepts and ideas relating to healthcare decision-making; (2) the diversity of other student values broadened their perspectives and (3) the experience brought reality to what it means to apply evidence in practice. CONCLUSION: Adding an online values-based tool to clinical epidemiology teaching was highly valued by students and enabled new understandings of empirical evidence and its application in practice.

Digital solutions for providing patients access to hospital-held health information: what are the design issues that need to be addressed?

A patient and whanau centred healthcare system includes patients having easy access to their health records when and where they need it. Accessible digital solutions providing patients with access to their health information, including hospital-held healthcare records, will support patients and whanau to be active and informed participants in their health. A Northern Region proof-of-concept, providing patients with electronic access to their hospital-held health information, identified several challenges in the design of such "portals". The purpose of this paper is to present a discussion of these challenges, and to present a review of the literature on how other countries and health settings have managed them. The review has led to recommendations around how delegated access, auditing access, adding and correcting of information, the timing of test result availability, and retrospective records should be handled. However, more investigation is required into the challenges surrounding how various types of more sensitive information should be handled. There is still considerable work to be done on how to technically and operationally transform these "default design principles" into reality within the complexity of New Zealand hospitals' electronic health information systems.

Association between gout and cardiovascular outcomes in adults with no history of cardiovascular disease: large data linkage study in New Zealand.

Objective: To examine the association of gout with cardiovascular outcomes using linked administrative health data in Aotearoa New Zealand. Design: Data linkage study. Setting: National registries of pharmaceutical dispensing, hospital admission, and deaths linked to the Auckland/Northland regional repository of laboratory results to create a regional health contact population as of 31 December 2011. Participants: 942 416 residents of the Auckland/Northland region, aged 20-79 years with no history of cardiovascular disease. Main outcome measures: Time to first fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular event, identified from national datasets on hospital admissions and mortality, between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2016. Cardiovascular disease was broadly defined as comprising ischaemic heart disease, ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, transient ischaemic attack, peripheral vascular disease, and heart failure. Interventions: A history of gout identified from a discharge diagnosis of gout from a public hospital admission or previous dispensing of gout specific drug treatments. The cohort was then linked to national hospital admissions and deaths through to 31 December 2016 (ie, 5 years' follow-up). Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were constructed to assess the associations between gout, other risk factors, and cardiovascular outcomes. Results: Of 942 416 people included in the study, 31 907 (3.4%) had gout (6261 women and 25 646 men). After adjustment for multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease, gout was associated with increased cardiovascular events (adjusted hazard ratio 1.34 (95% confidence interval 1.23 to 1.45) in women; 1.18 (1.12 to 1.24) in men). For men with gout, there was an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in those who were not dispensed regular allopurinol (1.15 (1.05 to 1.25)) and those with a serum urate above the treatment target of 0.36 mmol/L (1.16 (1.04 to 1.30)). Risk of cardiovascular events was lower for men with gout who were not dispensed colchicine compared with those who were (0.84 (0.77 to 0.92)). These findings were not observed in women. Conclusion: These results indicate that gout is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. In men with gout without history of cardiovascular disease, the cardiovascular risk was lower in those regularly dispensed allopurinol and those with serum urate levels at the recommended treatment target. By contrast, colchicine dispensing was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events in men with gout without a cardiovascular history. The potential causal mechanisms of these associations require further exploration, including casual inference modelling in future studies.

The importance of blood pressure thresholds versus predicted cardiovascular risk on subsequent rates of cardiovascular disease: a cohort study in English primary care.

BACKGROUND: For five decades, blood pressure lowering treatment has been recommended for patients with hypertension (currently defined as blood pressure of ≥140/90 mm Hg). In the past 20 years, guidelines for treatment began incorporating predicted absolute cardiovascular disease risk (predicted risk) and reducing blood pressure thresholds. The blood pressure threshold at which to start treatment has become a secondary consideration in some countries. We aimed to provide descriptive data to assess the relative importance of blood pressure thresholds versus predicted risk on the subsequent rate of cardiovascular disease to inform treatment decisions. METHODS: In this English population-based cohort study, we used linked data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) GOLD, Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care, and the Office for National Statistics mortality data, and area-based deprivation indices (Townsend scores). Eligible patients were aged 30-79 years on Jan 1, 2011 (cohort entry date) and could be linked to hospital, mortality, and deprivation data. Patients were followed up until death, end of CPRD follow-up, or Nov 31, 2018. We examined three outcomes: cardiovascular disease, markers of potential target organ damage, and incident dementia without a known cause. The rate of each outcome was estimated and stratified by systolic blood pressure and predicted 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease (QRISK2 algorithm). FINDINGS: Between Jan 1, 2011, and Nov 31, 2018, 1 098 991 patients were included in the cohort and followed up for a median of 4·3 years (IQR 2·6-6·0; total follow-up of 4·6 million person-years). Median age at entry was 52 years (IQR 42-62) and 629 711 (57·3%) patients were female. There were 51 996 cardiovascular disease events and the overall rate of cardiovascular disease was 11·2 per 1000 person-years (95% CI 11·1-11·3). Median QRISK2 10-year predicted risk was 4·6% (IQR 1·4-12·0) and mean systolic blood pressure before cohort entry was 129·1 mm Hg (SD 15·7). Within strata of predicted risk, the effect of increasing systolic blood pressure on outcomes was small. For example, in the group with 10·0-19·9% predicted risk, rates of all cardiovascular disease rose from 20·1 to 23·6 per 1000 person-years between systolic blood pressures less than 110 mm Hg and 180 and higher mm Hg. But among patients with systolic blood pressure 140·0-149·9 mm Hg, rates rose from 6·9 to 52·3 per 1000 person-years between those with less than 10·0% risk and those with 30·0% or higher predicted risk. INTERPRETATION: For a wide range of blood pressures, the rate of cardiovascular disease and effectiveness of blood pressure drug treatment was mainly determined by predicted risk, with blood pressure thresholds 140/90 mm Hg or 160/100 mm Hg-ubiquitous in most countries-adding little useful information. When medium-term predicted risk is low, there is no urgency to initiate drug treatment, allowing time to attempt non-pharmacological blood pressure reduction. FUNDING: National Institute for Health Research.

Patients' preferences for ways to communicate benefits of cardiovascular medication.

PURPOSE: We wanted to determine patients' willingness to take preventive cardiovascular disease (CVD) medication in relation to their 5-year CVD risk score and modes of communicating benefits of therapy. METHODS: Study participants were 934 consecutive patients drawn from family practitioners' waiting rooms in Auckland, New Zealand, who knew their 5-year CVD risk (ranging from 5% to 30%) and who completed a questionnaire asking them to rate how much various modes of communicating the benefits of therapy would encourage them to take medication daily, where the benefits from medication were proportional to their estimated CVD risk score. RESULTS: Patients' rankings for modes of communicating the benefits of therapy were little influenced by sex, age, ethnicity, numeracy score, 5-year CVD risk, or concern about a heart attack. Patients clearly found relative risk reduction most encouraging, with absolute risk reduction rated second overall and numbers needed to treat the least likely to be persuasive, although preferences covered the full range and were not predictable from demographic or 5-year CVD risk data. Pictures were preferred to numbers by 55.1%, with a people-chart or a bar chart being equally favored. Even so, 61.8% preferred a doctor's opinion to any presentation by numbers or pictures. CONCLUSIONS: Patients' willingness to take preventive cardiovascular medication depends more on mode of communicating treatment benefit than on their short-term CVD risk score or their level of concern about a future cardiovascular event. Because individual preferences were not predictable, more than 1 modality is likely to be clinically useful for each patient.