PHASES: Preventing Heart Attacks and Stroke Events through Surveillance

A statewide initiative helping primary care to lead the way in preventive and sustainable healthcare systems.

Introduction

PHASES aims to transform how Queensland addresses cardiovascular disease (CVD), a leading cause of death and hospital admissions. By equipping general practitioners with contemporary tools like Primary Sense, PHASES supports the early identification of at-risk patients, strengthens prevention efforts, and enables a comprehensive review of patient needs through data-driven insights at the point of care. The initiative’s digital prompts act as a safety net, highlighting potential risk factors and giving GPs the opportunity to offer proactive guidance on lifestyle and behaviour modifications as suitable treatment options before medication. This empowers individuals to take control of their heart health and improve long-term outcomes.
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Innovation

Harnessing advanced digital tools like Primary Sense to provide smarter, data-driven solutions for better cardiovascular care.

Connection

Building stronger links between consumers, general practice, Aboriginal health practitioners, and allied health providers to enable holistic preventive care.

Community

Empowering communities to take proactive steps and understand their cardiovascular risk. PHASES highlights the importance of making small changes early to protect heart health and improve overall wellbeing.

Funded by the Queensland Health Clinical Research Fellowship, the PHASES Linkage project connects general practice cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk data with hospitalisation and mortality data. This study aims to better understand how CVD risk impacts hospitalisation rates and assess the accuracy of the new CVD risk prediction equation in identifying high-risk individuals within Queensland’s population. 

The project will: 

  • Estimate the number of heart attacks and strokes that could be prevented with improved treatment for high CVD risk. 
  • Identify gaps in CVD prevention to inform future care strategies. 

Running in parallel with the PHASES project, PHASES Linkage highlights the power of data-driven insights to improve cardiovascular outcomes and reduce hospitalisations.