Background
The EPCCS, founded in 2000, aims to provide a focus of support, education, research, and policy on issues relating to cardiovascular disease within primary care settings. Cardiovascular disease represents the single most important disease presenting to primary care physicians in Europe, based upon its position as the number one cause of death (through myocardial infarction and stroke), the commonest cause of premature death (before the age of 65) and the principal cause of patient disability. Furthermore, cardiovascular disease is a consequent high cost to health care systems throughout Europe, with two of the commonest manifestations of cardiovascular disease, namely stroke and heart failure, occupying the top two most costly conditions to treat. Focusing on the better prevention of CVD and management of those with disease is a priority for all of European healthcare.
The focus of the EPCCS is directed on the interests of those working within primary care and aims to utilize the considerable evidence base that currently exists and to contribute to extending the evidence base where appropriate. Importantly, the EPCCS is not about GP specialism per se (though ‘GPs with a special interest’ have much to gain from the EPCCS too), but about helping physician and nurse generalists working in the community maintain an up to date approach to patients presenting with vascular disease or enabling CVD prevention. The initial emphasis for the Society is upon the education of practitioners. Amongst the current activities of the EPCCS are symposia, organized around major primary care and specialist meetings, newsletters, and advice on healthcare guidelines and policy. The EPCCS is a Wonca Europe Special interest Group (WESIG).
Activity in 2010
The EPCCS has had a busy year to date
Educational meetings. We supported the organization and delivery of educational meetings in joint symposia with specialists at major specialist CV meetings, namely the 2010 European Society for Hypertension meeting in Milan, the 2010 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Heart Failure Association meeting in Berlin, and the 2010 ESC Congress in Stockholm. These activities ensure that specialists are more aware of CV issues that face GPs in their practices and at the interface with hospitals, and provide content relevant sessions for generalists attending these major meetings—e.g. the ESC Congress is now the biggest clinical meeting in the world. In addition, the EPCCS has continued to support PC congresses, with an EPCCS satellite at WONCA Europe 2010 (which was very well attended and had excellent feedback), focusing on heart failure, hypertension, and AF stroke prevention. We also provided a CV session at the 2010 Primary Care Diabetes Europe (PCDE) meeting in Istanbul, to 600 delegates. Finally, we organized and ran the third two day EPCCS annual meeting in Lisbon in 2010—a very successful event with 450 delegates from 22 European countries and very high delegate feedback on the quality and clinical relevance of the sessions.
Newsletters. We published a summary of the 2009 EPCCS meeting, which appeared in the Primary Care Cardiovascular Journal, and are finalising a larger illustrated newsletter from the 2010 meeting.
Guideline development. The EPCCS works closely with the ESC Council for Cardiovascular Care to support primary care representation on the writing committees for all the ESC guidelines, one of the most influential and cited guideline providers on cardiovascular topics in the world. We also provide independent reviewers for all the ESC draft documents. This is an important role to guide better and more relevant guidance for primary care, and also influence the ESC in how they further promulgate their policy lobbying at the EU.
Important news
The 2011 EPCCS Meeting will be in Berlin on 1 and 2 September, details or register at http://www.epccs.eu. In addition, on the 29 and 30 April 2011, EPCCS will be organizing a joint meeting with the Primary Care Diabetes Europe group in Istanbul.