Improvement science meets community development: approaching health inequalities through community engagement

The Improvement Foundation’s Healthy Communities Collaborative (HCC) model combines community development and quality improvement, lay knowledge and professional support in an innovative community-led approach which is specifically aimed at reducing health inequalities. This paper describes the key characteristics of the model and uses an outcomes framework to discuss indicative results from an HCC initiative to promote the earlier identification of people at risk of cardiovascular disease implemented in nine spearhead local authorities.

Journal of Integrated Care (2008) 16(6):26-36

Improving outcomes in cardiovascular disease; a guide for practice-based commissioners

This timely guidance reviews the evidence base for promoting prevention and optimising treatment in CVD. It then outlines how PBC groups can use savings to fund a more systematic approach to the management of CVD in primary care.

(Published September 2008, 20 pages)

Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: cost-effectiveness comparison

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of four risk-lowering interventions (smoking cessation, antihypertensives, aspirin, and statins) in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS: A cost-effective strategy should offer smoking cessation for smokers and aspirin for moderate and high levels of risk among men 45 years of age and older. Statin therapy is the most expensive option in primary prevention at levels of 10-year coronary heart disease risk below 30 percent and should not constitute the first choice of treatment in these populations.

Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2007 Winter;23(1):71-9.