Bringing prevention to the population: an important role for cardiologists in policy-making

Abstract

The European cardiology community has long been involved in the prevention of the disease it was trained to cure and treat. This commitment is actually engraved in the mission statement of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC): ‘to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe’. The ESC reflected this commitment to cardiovascular disease prevention with the creation of dedicated committees, such as the working group on Epidemiology and Prevention and the working group on Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Pathology. In 2004, these merged to form the European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (EACPR), an affiliated association of the ESC. However, cardiology practice with individual patients is very different from mass strategies. Cardiologists therefore soon sought the support of policies to help implement prevention plans at the population level. In 2004, the then President of the ESC, Professor Michal Tendera stated that ‘Cardiologists alone cannot handle the problem of cardiovascular disease’; this declaration is even truer for preventing the disease. The European Society of Cardiology engaged in influencing European policies in 2002, with the creation of a dedicated Committee for EU Relations. They became familiar with EU policies and learned to adapt to EU jargon. ‘Prevention’ strategies had to evolve into ‘Heart health promotion strategies’. The horizontal approach adopted by the European Commission in the field of public health prompted the ESC to address risk factors and upstream health determinants. What it takes to be a good heart doctor is not necessarily what it takes to be a good spin doctor. However, cardiologists adapted swiftly in providing accurate expertise and alarming statistics on the huge burden and inequity of the disease across the EU and including also Europe in a wider perspective. The ESC has then successfully engaged, along with Brussels-based heart health promotion NGO, the European Heart Network …