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 .
Can computerized risk profiles help patients improve their coronary risk? The results of the Coronary Health Assessment Study (CHAS).
BACKGROUND The Coronary Health Assessment Study ( CHAS ) was developed to determine the feasibility of using patient-specific , multifactorial computerized coronary risk profiles as a clinical decision aid to support primary prevention of CHD . METHODS Study participants included 253 community based physicians , r and omized into profile and control groups , and 958 of their patients . The profile group physicians received coronary risk profiles for their patients within 10 working days after the baseline patient assessment providing early feedback . The control group received their profiles only if the patient was clinical ly reevaluated during a 3-month follow-up visit . Patients ' coronary risk factors were evaluated at baseline and at follow-up . RESULTS The profile group had a significantly higher ( P < 0.05 ) ratio of high-risk/low-risk patients who returned for a follow-up visit compared to the control group ( 1.23 vs 0.77 ) . The patients in the profile group also had significantly ( P < 0.05 ) greater mean reductions in total cholesterol ( -0.5 vs -0.1 mmol/L ) , LDL cholesterol ( -0.4 vs 0.0 mmol/L ) , the total cholesterol/ HDL ratio ( -0.6 vs -0.2 ) , and the predicted 8-year coronary risk ( -1.8 vs -0.3 % ) . CONCLUSIONS Computer-generated coronary risk profiles can be effective in assisting physicians to identify high-risk patients . Their use is also associated with significantly greater improvements in the serum lipid profiles and the overall coronary risk of these patients
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 .