Conclusions Interventions using physician reminders , using dedicated personnel to deliver screening , and provision of financial incentives were found to be effective in increasing CVD risk factors screening uptake
Background Cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) is the leading cause of death globally .
However , many individuals are unaware of their CVD risk factors .
The objective of this systematic review is to determine the effectiveness of existing intervention strategies to increase uptake of  CVD risk factors screening .
Computer-generated physician and patient reminders. Tools to improve population adherence to selected preventive services.
Despite an emerging consensus on appropriate preventive services , a minority of patients receive them . A study was undertaken to assess the impact of computer-generated reminders to adult patients , their physicians , or both patients and physicians on adherence to five recommended preventive services : cholesterol measurements , fecal occult blood testing , mammography , Papanicolaou smears , and tetanus immunization . During the academic year 1988 - 1989 , all 7397 adult patients and their 49 physicians in a university family medicine clinical practice were r and omized by practice group into one of four study groups : control , physician reminders , patient reminders , and both physician and patient reminders . Adherence was defined in community-oriented terms : the percentage of patients within each group who had received the preventive service in the recommended interval . During the study period , adherence to four of the five preventive services increased significantly , with the largest increases in the physician and patient reminder group : cholesterol measurements increased from 19.5 % to 38.1 % , fecal occult blood testing 9.3 % to 27.0 % , mammography 11.4 % to 27.1 % , and tetanus immunization 23.4 % to 35.4 % ( for each increase , P less than .0001 , McNemar 's chi-square test ) . In general , increases were greater in blacks and in patients with any form of insurance coverage .  Computer-based physician and patient reminder systems have great promise of improving adherence to preventive services in primary care setting
Conclusions Interventions using physician reminders , using dedicated personnel to deliver screening , and provision of financial incentives were found to be effective in increasing CVD risk factors screening uptake
Background Cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) is the leading cause of death globally .
However , many individuals are unaware of their CVD risk factors .
The objective of this systematic review is to determine the effectiveness of existing intervention strategies to increase uptake of  CVD risk factors screening .