6 Min
In CPD
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Aim
To help pharmacy technicians update their knowledge on cardiovascular disease prevention.
Objectives
After completing this module you will be able to:
- Describe current and future roles for community pharmacy teams in CVD prevention through effective lipid management
- Have a better understanding of community pharmacy CVD case-finding, cholesterol point-of-care testing and risk calculation.
Contributing author: Alison Warren, consultant pharmacist in cardiology, University Hospitals Sussex and Sussex ICB
Key facts
- Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of premature mortality, yet many preventive treatments, including those used to manage hypercholesterolaemia, remain underused
- The NHS is actively exploring ways to identify people with raised cardiovascular risk who could benefit from lifestyle interventions and medication. This includes greater involvement of the community pharmacy network
- Modifying risk factors can significantly reduce cardiovascular risk – cholesterol is a modifiable risk factor
- Primary prevention risk scores can help identify people at increased risk of CVD
- Community pharmacy teams are ideally placed to identify people who would benefit from CVD prevention and to support their ongoing management
- Future roles may include measuring and interpreting lipid results and CVD risk scores, as well as optimising lipid-lowering medication.