March 2026 Webinar Recap: A whole of practice approach to CVD

Presented by Dr Peter Atkins and Professor Kim Greaves, the March 2026 webinar shared practical insights into how cardiovascular prevention can be more effectively embedded across the practice team, rather than sitting with GPs alone.

A key theme of the session was that prevention works best when it becomes part of routine care. Speakers explored how practices can combine systematic and opportunistic approaches, use data and digital tools more effectively and build on existing workflows to support earlier identification of patients who may benefit from assessment and follow-up.

The session also reinforced that good coding, team-based care and practical workflow design can help reduce administrative burden and support a more sustainable approach to prevention.

Key takeaways included:

  • cardiovascular disease prevention works best as a whole-of-practice effort, not a GP-only activity
  • prevention can become routine when practices combine systematic and opportunistic approaches
  • data, accurate coding and existing workflows can help reduce workload and support sustainability

Learning objectives :

  • the importance of team-based care in identifying and managing cardiovascular risk
  • using practice data and digital tools, including Primary Sense, to proactively identify patients who may benefit from assessment
  • embedding cardiovascular risk assessment into routine practice workflows
  • supporting practices to implement sustainable quality improvement activities

The webinar formed part of the PHASES statewide webinar series supporting primary care teams across Queensland to strengthen early identification and prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Click here if you missed the live session and would like to watch the recording, You can also self-claim RACGP and ACRRM CPD points after viewing.

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.