Achieving early detection and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease

HPP supported Global Heart Hub to develop a manifesto for change to achieve early detection and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.

Context

Delayed or missed diagnosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) contributes to avoidable disease progression, which leads to increased illness and death and higher healthcare costs.

CVD refers to a group of conditions that affect the circulatory system, including genetically inherited conditions and those that develop over the course of an individual’s lifetime. Examples include atherosclerosis, heart failure, cardiomyopathy and stroke.

CVD can significantly affect a person’s quality of life and places a growing burden on health systems around the world. Concerningly, the prevalence of CVD is predicted to double between 2020 and 2050. This will affect not only population health, but also workforce productivity and health system sustainability.

Ensuring equitable access to early detection and diagnosis of CVD is therefore vital to prevent avoidable disease progression and minimise the impact of these conditions on society. While there is now a wide range of cost-effective methods to support early detection and diagnosis, including both traditional approaches and recent advances in artificial intelligence and genetic testing, it remains suboptimal.

What we’ve achieved

HPP supported Global Heart Hub to develop a manifesto for change for the early detection and diagnosis of CVD. The manifesto outlines eight actions that need to be taken by a united CVD community, including policymakers, to improve outcomes for people living with these conditions.

The manifesto reflects consensus-based priority actions identified through a targeted literature search and stakeholder engagement of international CVD thought leaders. To this end, HPP supported the strategic delivery of the third annual Global Heart Hub Unite Summit in Barcelona in November 2023. This included the facilitation of consensus-building workshops with all delegates across two days, which informed the development of the manifesto. The Summit was attended by 125 delegates from 27 countries, including more than 40 representatives of patient organisations.

Key partners and stakeholders

The manifesto was compiled by HPP team members and:

Neil Johnson, Executive Director, Global Heart Hub
Olive Fenton, Development Executive, Global Heart Hub

A full list of contributors to the manifesto can be found at the beginning of the document.

Project funding

The Health Policy Partnership was commissioned to develop this report by Global Heart Hub. The project was supported by grants from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Meyers Squibb, Edwards Lifesciences, Novo Nordisk, Roche and Servier.