Cardiovascular health: The importance of measuring patient-reported health status a scientific statement from the American heart association

摘要

The principal goals of health care are to help people "live longer and live better," that is, to optimize both survival and health. In the American Heart Association's (AHA) special report, "Defining and setting national goals for cardiovascular health promotion and disease reduction: the American Heart Association's strategic Impact Goal through 2020 and beyond," the AHA set the following goal:"By 2020, to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20% while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20%."The emphasis on improving cardiovascular health is laudable, yet it raises the question of how cardiovascular health is best measured. Indeed, the metrics of cardiovascular health have not been well delineated compared with other cardiovascular mortality and morbidity outcomes.The AHA's strategic goals primarily focus on ideal health behaviors (eg, not smoking) and ideal health factors (eg, blood pressure control) as metrics of cardiovascular health.