National Vascular Disease Prevention Alliance evidence-based practice guidelines for the assessment of absolute cardiovascular disease risk These guidelines have been developed for use by general practitioners, Aboriginal health workers, other primary care health professionals and physicians assessing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)a in adults without known CVD.

Absolute risk, as defined in these guidelines, is the numerical probability of a cardiovascular event occurring within a five-year period. It reflects a person’s ‘individualised’ risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), as opposed to the traditional method that considers various risk factors, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure, in isolation. The guidelines were developed by the National Vascular Disease Prevention Alliance (NVDPA)* and approved by the National Health and Medical Research Council.

From the Heart Foundation Website National Vascular Disease Prevention Alliance evidence-based practice guidelines for the assessment of absolute cardiovascular disease risk