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CASP

(Cardiovascular Assessment Screening Program)

Welcome to CASP!

The CASP website will assist you to comprehensively screen for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in individuals at risk and in those people already diagnosed with a heart attack or stroke, and, if present, to access online resources to help individuals manage those risks. CASP is based on the Canadian Cardiovascular and Harmonized National Guidelines Endeavour (C-CHANGE), a composite of 11 different cardiovascular-related guidelines brought together and updated every four years.

CASP has tools to help you systematically screen many CVD risk factors simultaneously and to calculate cardiovascular risk status. There are multiple strategies available at your fingertips that you can use to collaborate with individuals to manage these risk factors according to their priorities for action. Listen carefully and let individuals lead the way in terms of meeting their goals.

Let’s learn more about CASP before using it with your patients…

What is CASP?

The Cardiovascular Assessment Screening Program (CASP) consists of tools for screening and assessment of risk factors for CVD, as well as resources to help HCPs to identify and manage risk factors.  These tools and resources are readily accessible on the CASP website and the mobile app that can be used on a smart phone, tablet, or computer.

Why is CVD screening important?

CVD screening is important to identify risk factors early and intervene in a timely way to reduce morbidity and premature mortality related to developing CVD. The earlier that risks are identified, the more opportunity to use strategies to improve heart health.

Is CASP based on current Canadian clinical practice guidelines?

CASP is based on the current (2022) guidelines by the Canadian Cardiovascular and Harmonized National Guidelines Endeavour (C-CHANGE), a composite of 11 different cardiovascular-related guidelines.  Using CASP facilitates the application of the guidelines into practice. More information about C-CHANGE can be found here.

Why use CASP in my practice?

  • Conduct comprehensive CVD screening of risk factors simultaneously.
  • Simplify CVD screening and make it part of your routine clinical practice.
  • Useful resource to find strategies with your patients to reduce their CVD risk.
  • Improve communication with your patients and set goals and action plans.
  • Document risk factors and outcomes in EMR.
  • Empower individuals to take control of their own health.

Why was CASP developed, and by whom?

Many HCPs screen for CVD risk factors in an opportunistic way, e.g., assessing because of a cue, such as assessing the lipid profile because of a family history of heart disease. Some risk factors are frequently assessed (e.g., smoking, hypertension, diabetes), while others are less frequently assessed (e.g., history of gestational diabetes).

CASP was developed by Dr. Jill Bruneau, a nurse practitioner, and her research team to guide HCPs in systematically screening for a multitude of known risk factors, both traditional and non-traditional, to identify and manage risks early.

See the section on How to Use CASP for suggestions on how you can use CASP to guide your screening for, and the management of, risk factors, including goal setting with individuals. Tools and resources can be found throughout the various sections.

Has CASP been evaluated?

In a small cluster randomized controlled trial, Dr. Bruneau and her research team assessed comprehensiveness of screening for CVD risk factors in patients by nurse practitioners (NPs) who used CASP compared to screening in usual practice. In that study, significantly more intervention group patients (90%; n = 61) received comprehensive CVD screening (i.e., at least 9 components screened) compared to the control group patients (2%; n = 2), RR = 30.2, 95% CI [8.76, 103.9], p < .0001.

It is also important to note that, although the mean age was 55 years (range: 40-74), 53% of the intervention group participants had 4-6 risk factors for CVD, and 18% had 7-10 risk factors. These results support the need to conduct systematic and comprehensive screening so that appropriate actions can be taken to reduce or mitigate cardiovascular risk.

Further results from the study have been published:
Bruneau, J., Moralejo, D., & Parsons, K. (2024). Evaluating the effectiveness of the cardiovascular assessment screening program with nurse practitioners and patients: results of a cluster randomised controlled trial. BMC Primary Care, 25(1), 185. https://bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12875-024-02432-2.pdf?utm_source=consensus