title: EULAR task force recommendations on annual cardiovascular risk assessment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: an audit of the success of implementation in a rheumatology outpatient clinic.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  EULAR recommendations for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk management include annual CVD risk assessments for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We evaluated the recording of CVD risk factors (CVD-RF) in a rheumatology outpatient clinic, where EULAR recommendations had been implemented. Further, we compared CVD-RF recordings between a regular rheumatology outpatient clinic (RegROC) and a structured arthritis clinic (AC).
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2012, 1142 RA patients visited the rheumatology outpatient clinic: 612 attended RegROC and 530 attended AC. We conducted a search in the patient journals to ascertain the rate of CVD-RF recording.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall CVD-RF recording rate was 40.1% in the rheumatology outpatient clinic, reflecting a recording rate of 59.1% in the AC and 23.6% in the RegROC. The odds ratios for having CVD-RFs recorded for patients attending AC compared to RegROC were as follows: blood pressure: 12.4, lipids: 5.0-6.0, glucose: 9.1, HbA1c: 6.1, smoking: 1.4, and for having all the CVD-RFs needed to calculate the CVD risk by the systematic coronary risk evaluation (SCORE): 21.0.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CVD-RF recording rate was low in a rheumatology outpatient clinic. However, a systematic team-based model was superior compared to a RegROC. Further measures are warranted to improve CVD-RF recording in RA patients.
authors: Preventive Cardio-Rheuma Clinic, Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, P.O. Box 23 Vinderen, 0319 Oslo, Norway.
authors: Eirik
authors: E
authors: Ikdahl
authors: Preventive Cardio-Rheuma Clinic, Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, P.O. Box 23 Vinderen, 0319 Oslo, Norway.
authors: Silvia
authors: S
authors: Rollefstad
authors: Preventive Cardio-Rheuma Clinic, Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, P.O. Box 23 Vinderen, 0319 Oslo, Norway.
authors: Inge C
authors: IC
authors: Olsen
authors: Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, P.O. Box 23 Vinderen, 0319 Oslo, Norway.
authors: Tore K
authors: TK
authors: Kvien
authors: Department of Rheumatology, Hospital of Southern Norway Trust, P.O. Box 416, 4604 Kristiansand, Norway.
authors: Inger Johanne Widding
authors: IJ
authors: Hansen
authors: Department of Rheumatology, Hospital of Southern Norway Trust, P.O. Box 416, 4604 Kristiansand, Norway.
authors: Dag Magnar
authors: DM
authors: Soldal
authors: Department of Rheumatology, Hospital of Southern Norway Trust, P.O. Box 416, 4604 Kristiansand, Norway.
authors: Glenn
authors: G
authors: Haugeberg
authors: Preventive Cardio-Rheuma Clinic, Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, P.O. Box 23 Vinderen, 0319 Oslo, Norway.
authors: Anne Grete
authors: AG
authors: Semb
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012219:Rheumatology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics