Scorecards to Support Cardiovascular Risk Measurement in Older Adults at an Outer Metropolitan Australian Service: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Source: PubMed, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine

Our study aimed to assess cardiovascular risk factor measurements (CVRFM) among people ages ≥40 years attending a sexual health clinic for HIV care before, during, and after scorecard implementation. Scorecards were 1-page visual summaries of risk factor measurement metrics distributed among clinic staff quarterly between November 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The median number of yearly risk-factor measurements increased from one in the year before scorecards to three in the year after scorecards. Measurements of systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol:high-density lipoprotein ratio, and glycated hemoglobin increased during the time period; smoking status measurements remained unchanged. Complete risk factor measurements (all four measurements in 1 year) increased from 11% before scorecards to 36% after scorecards. Weight/body mass index measurements and general practitioner linkage increased; having these were also associated with a higher number of other CVRFMs. As a quality-improvement initiative, scorecards may support clinic processes for CVRFM. Further interventions to improve measurement and reduce risk, potentially through sexual health clinic and general practitioner shared care, should be explored.