A survey of specialists working in the cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) field has found that almost a third are unfamiliar with current CVRM guidelines.

The aim of the Annual CVRM Survey, which was launched to coincide with the inaugural CVRM Professional Care conference, was to gather views on integrated care within these specialisms.

Healthcare professionals were asked about their knowledge, confidence and clinical practice across the CVRM spectrum, with a view to ensuring future educational initiatives are tailored to the needs of those delivering care. 

One question asked respondents how confident they felt in managing patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors – almost half gave their answer as ‘neutral’ or ‘not confident’.

When asked if they routinely use a cardiovascular risk calculator, 56% said ‘sometimes’ and 22% said they never do.

Respondents were also asked which cardiovascular risk factors they routinely assess, with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity featuring the most, and physical inactivity being the area least assessed.

One question sought to establish at what stage CVRM interventions are usually initiated:

• Before any diagnosis
• At the time of diagnosis
• After evidence of disease progression
• Following a cardiovascular or renal event

• Only when standard treatment is no longer sufficient
• Other

‘At the time of diagnosis’ was most common followed by ‘after evidence of disease progression’.

Respondents were also asked to say which CVRM interventions they most commonly recommend, with lifestyle modifications receiving the most votes followed by patient education/self management support and glucose-lowering therapies with cardiovascular and renal benefits.

CVRM Professional Care Event Chair, Dr Kevin Fernando, said: “We’d like to thank those who took the time to complete this survey, which will play an important role in the development of future educational programmes.

“It has been really interesting to see the results – some of the findings demonstrate how vital it is that the work going on to put integrated care at the heart of CVRM continues in earnest. Events like CVRM Professional Care serve to address this need and I look forward to seeing how this groundbreaking event sparks similar initiatives and most importantly, closer working between colleagues within CVRM care.”

CVRM Professional Care is a two-day, educational event focused on the future of integrated care and will take place on October 20 and 21 at Olympia, London. The conference will bring together healthcare professionals from across specialties to share knowledge, tackle shared challenges and shape the future of long-term condition management.

Spanning diabetes, cardiology, renal and metabolic health, the conference will encourage clinicians to look beyond individual conditions and embrace a more integrated approach to care.

By fostering collaboration across disciplines, the event aims to support a more joined-up model of care that reflects the realities of managing CVRM conditions in clinical practice.

With three dedicated theatres covering prevention, innovation, therapeutic advances and integrated care pathways, the programme offers opportunities to learn from real-world examples, hear expert perspectives and discover new approaches to improving outcomes for people living with long-term conditions.