Novel strategies for the detection of systolic and diastolic heart failure.

The incidence and prevalence of dyspnea increases with age. Frequently, for the general practitioner with his limited diagnostic facilities, it is impossible to separate dyspnea from cardiac causes and non-cardiac causes. Without cardiac imaging it is also impossible to separate systolic dysfunction from diastolic dysfunction.

Patients' responsiveness to a decision support tool for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases in primary care.

Objective: Assessment of patients' responsiveness to a decision support tool for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The booklet focuses on barriers at patient level.

Methods: Process evaluation of an intervention in primary care.

Patients' ideas, fears and expectations of their coronary risk: barriers for primary prevention.

The application of cardiovascular guidelines and risk tables may be impeded by many barriers. In the present paper, we explored the role of patients in the feasibility of cardiovascular preventive care in general practice. Patient-related barriers were examined by means of a qualitative study.