There is uncertainty whether current strategies for providing CVD risk scores  affect CVD events .
Providing CVD risk scores may slightly reduce CVD risk factor levels and may increase preventive medication prescribing in higher-risk people without evidence of harm .
BACKGROUND The current paradigm for cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) emphasises absolute risk assessment to guide treatment decisions in primary prevention .
Although the derivation and validation of multivariable risk assessment tools , or CVD risk scores , have attracted considerable attention , their effect on clinical outcomes is uncertain .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of evaluating and providing CVD risk scores in adults without prevalent CVD on cardiovascular outcomes , risk factor levels , preventive medication prescribing , and health behaviours .
Protocol for the 'e-Nudge trial': a randomised controlled trial of electronic feedback to reduce the cardiovascular risk of individuals in general practice [ISRCTN64828380]
Background Cardiovascular disease ( including coronary heart disease and stroke ) is a major cause of death and disability in the United Kingdom , and is to a large extent preventable , by lifestyle modification and drug therapy . The recent st and ardisation of electronic codes for cardiovascular risk variables through the United Kingdom 's new General Practice contract provides an opportunity for the application of risk algorithms to identify high risk individuals . This r and omised controlled trial will test the benefits of an automated system of alert messages and practice search es to identify those at highest risk of cardiovascular disease in primary care data bases . Design Patients over 50 years old in practice data bases will be r and omised to the intervention group that will receive the alert messages and search es , and a control group who will continue to receive usual care . In addition to those at high estimated risk , potentially high risk patients will be identified who have insufficient data to allow a risk estimate to be made . Further groups identified will be those with possible undiagnosed diabetes , based either on elevated past recorded blood glucose measurements , or an absence of recent blood glucose measurement in those with established cardiovascular disease . Outcome measures The intervention will be applied for two years , and outcome data will be collected for a further year . The primary outcome measure will be the annual rate of cardiovascular events in the intervention and control arms of the study . Secondary measures include the proportion of patients at high estimated cardiovascular risk , the proportion of patients with missing data for a risk estimate , and the proportion with undefined diabetes status at the end of the trial
There is uncertainty whether current strategies for providing CVD risk scores  affect CVD events .
Providing CVD risk scores may slightly reduce CVD risk factor levels and may increase preventive medication prescribing in higher-risk people without evidence of harm .
BACKGROUND The current paradigm for cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) emphasises absolute risk assessment to guide treatment decisions in primary prevention .
Although the derivation and validation of multivariable risk assessment tools , or CVD risk scores , have attracted considerable attention , their effect on clinical outcomes is uncertain .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of evaluating and providing CVD risk scores in adults without prevalent CVD on cardiovascular outcomes , risk factor levels , preventive medication prescribing , and health behaviours .