Improving Communication about Heart disease risk Assessment using Translational research strategies in General Practice

The CHAT-GP project is a partnership with the National Heart Foundation of Australia, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, and the Prevention Centre; with additional NHMRC and Federal Government funding. It aims to develop and implement new ehealth tools to support evidence-based, shared decision making about cardiovascular disease prevention. Dr Carissa Bonner is the Chief Investigator on several grants supported by NHMRC, Heart Foundation and federal government funding to develop and evaluate resources for:

1. GPs and practice nurses: A new interface for the CVD prevention guidelines was co-designed with GPs to automatically apply assessment and management guidelines to patients during a consultation, and provide patients with a tailored decision aid to more clearly explain their risk and management options: www.auscvdrisk.com.au. This has been recommended by the Heart Foundation, NAACHO and Primary Health Networks.

2. Consumers and patients: We developed and tested a new version of the national CVD risk and heart age calculators to address the needs of people with lower health literacy. The new tool enhances current versions with evidence-based behaviour change techniques and health-literate design principles. It improved knowledge of CVD risk and lifestyle change over 1 month amongst people with varying health literacy needs.

3. Primary Health Networks (PHNs): We are currently exploring the needs of PHNs, mapping national activities in CVD prevention, and testing new strategies for implementing communication tools via clinical decision support software (e.g. Healthpathways, Pen CS and POLAR clinical audit tools) and quality improvement programs (e.g. the national PIP QI program, GP education workshops in Western Victoria PHN).

4. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: We are working with representatives of NAATSIWHP, NAACHO and ACI to co-design a tailored version of the above resources to support shared decision making in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Carissa is supervising Judith Parnham to do her MPhil as part of this project.

Led by: Dr Carissa Bonner