2023-06-21 15:07:59
In 2021, the UCC-SMART study will have existed for 25 years, in 2022 the program will have more than 15,000 participants. By updating these people with (at risk of) cardiovascular disease about what happens to their research data, the researchers want to show how patients who participate in the program really contribute to improving the care of current and future generations. The special UCC-SMART patient day at UMC Utrecht was therefore well attended.
Impact on healthcare today and tomorrow
About 600 people per year start the UCC-SMART trajectory. What is special about UCC-SMART is that many different people participate. “People with a heart problem, high blood pressure, diabetes, pregnancy complications, vascular problems. This gives us new insights into cardiovascular disease and clinical practice every day,” says internist and professor of vascular medicine Frank Visseren of UMC Utrecht. The program is made possible through multidisciplinary and international collaborations.
Quit smoking and cholesterol or blood pressure medications
The researchers use these new insights from UCC-SMART to develop new treatment methods. For example, the U-Prevent website was created thanks to UCC-SMART. Based on the collected research data, this online program calculates the lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease and the number of disease-free years that are added if, for example, you stop smoking and take cholesterol or blood pressure medication. For example, U-Prevent advises tailor-made medicines and enables patient and doctor to make well-considered decisions together.
Predict risk of next vascular problem
The UCC-SMART risk score has also been developed, which researchers can use to predict the risk of developing a subsequent vascular problem. This too had without the availability of big data from the UCC-SMART study was never possible. “Very important”, according to Frank, “Because if you know the risk, you can also intervene and really do something about it”. The risk score has become part of the European guideline for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
More improvements in healthcare thanks to participation
And there are many more scientific developments and improvements in healthcare that have been made possible thanks to the participation of patients.
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