The European Alliance for Cardiovascular Health (EACH) has contributed to the European Commission’s public consultation on the proposed Council Recommendation on cardiovascular health checks.
The proposal reflects consolidated inputs from the European Alliance for Cardiovascular Health (EACH) and its partners, and acknowledges proposals supported by several EACH partners and medical communities for a Cardiovascular-Renal-Metabolic (CVRM) Health Check Protocol.
In its submission, EACH supports the development of a coordinated, evidence-based European framework for cardiovascular health checks aligned with the objectives of the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan – Safe Hearts Plan. The proposal highlights the importance of prevention, early detection and equitable access to cardiovascular care across the life course.
The proposal is built around several guiding principles, including life-course prevention, early risk detection, equity and inclusion, and integrated care pathways. It promotes a combination of systematic health checks, risk-based screening and opportunistic detection approaches, alongside stronger referral, treatment and long-term follow-up pathways.
The proposed EU Cardiovascular Health Check Protocol consists of a life-course structure for screening and prevention, a minimum core dataset for cardiovascular risk assessment, additional risk-based modules, improved identification of high-risk and inherited conditions, and structured follow-up and care pathways linked to guideline-based intervention and personalised care.
The proposal also underlines the importance of accessibility, health equity, stronger primary care integration and coordinated implementation across Member States, while recognising different national healthcare systems, capacities and resources.
Read the EACH proposal for a European Cardiovascular Health Check Protocol
Consult the European Commission consultation page: Cardiovascular diseases – health checks
