Evidence and Resources to Improve Overall Heart Health
The AHRQ EvidenceNOW initiative, which began in 2015, focused on improving the "ABCS" of cardiovascular care—Aspirin for those at increased risk of a heart attack or stroke, Blood pressure control, Cholesterol management, and Smoking cessation. Since that time, the evidence for the ABCS has changed as well as the timeliness of the related resources cited below, so we have archived this page for historical purposes.
EvidenceNOW used a wide variety of materials to increase the delivery of the ABCS in primary care and promote improvements in overall heart health, some of which are now out of date. These materials include general information about cardiovascular risk reduction, guidance on improving diet and physical activity, direction on implementing risk calculators that can be used by practices and patients, practical advice on overcoming barriers to improve heart health, patient education and engagement materials, and much more.
Resources for Improving Overall Heart Health
Guidelines and Recommendations
This is a summary of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation on lifestyle counseling for adults at high risk for CVD.
This series of fact sheets summarizes recommendations for the ABCS of heart health: Aspirin therapy for secondary prevention of heart disease, Blood pressure control, Cholesterol management, and Smoking cessation in adults. These guidelines formed the basis for the EvidenceNOW Initiative.
Resources for Practices
Based on the 2017 update to the ACC/AHA 2013 Cardiovascular Risk Calculator/Guideline on the Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk, this web-based calculator allows clinicians or their patients to plug in weight, age, and other information to calculate the risk of heart disease.
Assessing Cardiovascular Risk: Systematic Evidence Review From the Risk Assessment Work Group, 2013
This comprehensive evidence report is from the Risk Assessment Work Group convened by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to conduct a systematic evidence review and develop an approach to quantitative risk assessment to guide care.
Discussing ASCVD Risk Score With Patients: Quantifying Treatment Effect
This presentation discusses ways providers can integrate calculation and discussion of ASCVD risk score into patient visits.
Prevention and Care Dashboard—Hub Quality Measures Checklists
This section (pages 112–141) of the ABCS Toolkit for the Practice Facilitator contains checklists to help practices track quality measures for heart health and other important screenings.
Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease
These slides and script from a 12-minute video address secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, including a review of issues in medical therapy (lipid lowering therapy, antiplatelet agents, and blood pressure control) and lifestyle interventions for patients with a history of CVD.
Maximizing Medication Adherence to Improve Heart Health NOW! Why, When, and How to Do It
These slides and script are from a 10-minute video that covers medication adherence to improve heart health, including the rationale for addressing adherence, as well as when and how to address it with patients.
Calculating Risk for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
These slides and script are from a 13-minute video that covers risk calculation for cardiovascular disease and how to use a risk-based approach with patients to prevent and treat CVD.
Cardiovascular Risk Management in Primary Care
This three-page, facts-at-a-glance handout for clinicians explains how to use and discuss the cardiac risk calculator with patients as well as guidelines for statin intensity levels.
Number-needed-to-treat (NNT) to prevent one ASCVD event over a 10 year period
This one-page handout for clinicians compares the number needed to treat with statins compared with other primary care interventions, such as nicotine replacement for smokers and lung cancer screening.
Workflow, Protocol, and Clinical Decision Support for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment
This one-page workflow chart and decision aid helps practice staff collect and track data for cardiovascular risk assessment.
The ABCS Metrics: The Evidence, the Conversation, and the Decision
These slides are from a webinar about the ABCS measures and how they can be used to engage patients in patient-centered communication and shared decisionmaking about heart disease prevention.
This two-page chart contains CMS measure numbers, National Quality Foundation measure numbers, measure titles and other information.
This comprehensive evidence report is from the Lifestyle Work Group convened by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to conduct a systematic evidence review of the role of dietary patterns, nutrient intake, and physical activity in CVD risk.
This comprehensive evidence report is from the Obesity Expert Panel convened by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to conduct a systematic evidence review and develop clinical practice guidelines for the management of overweight and obesity in adults.
Cardiovascular Risk Barriers Educational Outreach Visits Worksheet
This worksheet for practice facilitators describes how to work with practices to break down four key messages about lowering cardiovascular disease risk.
Resources for Practices to Use With Patients
This fact sheet for patients explains the recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on lifestyle counseling for adults at high risk for CVD.
Prevent Second Chances Roadmap
Modeled after folding road maps, this trifold brochure reviews how the ABCS of heart care can help prevent heart disease.
This poster uses the imagery of a car dashboard to make the point that patients can drive heart health and reduce their risk of heart disease.
Heart-Healthy Eating Mediterranean Style
This one-page handout for patients explains the Mediterranean style of eating that emphasizes vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, with fish twice a week and smaller portions of meat.
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