Description
The frequency of the patient"s participation in the programme depend on the risks identified. If the risk of a cardiovascular disease is found to be low or moderate, the person will be invited to take part in the programme again after 4 years. If the risk of these diseases is high, the next time they will be invited after 2 years, and if the risk is very high, after 1 year. If a very high risk is identified, a referral will be made by a family doctor to a cardiologist for a further comprehensive examination of the likelihood of a cardiovascular disease. If a family doctor determines that the patient is at high or very high risk of a cardiovascular disease, the patient will be given a primary prevention plan. This will include targeted patient"s body mass index, arterial blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration in blood, ways and terms for their control, and recommendations for lifestyle changes. After 6 months, the patient will have to revisit his/her family doctor, who will assess the results of this plan and adjust the plan.Program launch date
December 2005.Responsible entity
National Health Fund / Ministry of Health (free for the patient)Available results and quality metrics
Hygiene Institute () shows that the number of people who develop and die from cardiovascular diseases in our country is increasing every year. Almost 914 thousand of Lithuanian residents developed these diseases in 2021 and more than 931 thousand -- last year. Last year alone, 23 000 patients died of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, prevention of these diseases turns to be very important.Limitations / comments
At the moment, participation in the cardiovascular prevention programme is not sufficient. According to the data of the National Health Insurance Fund under the Ministry of Health (NHIF), less than half of targeted Lithuanian residents (46 pct.) participate in this programme annually. Earlier, men aged 40-55 and women aged 50-65 could participate in the cardiovascular prevention programme. Age limits for target population have now been extended and men and women aged between 40 and 60 (inclusive) may participate in the programme.