Contemporary Themes in Healthcare: An Analysis of CHD Management in the UK

Running head: Contemporary themes in healthcare
Contemporary Themes in Healthcare
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1Contemporary themes in healthcare
Six articles selected for the essay:
Journal References:
Article 1 Bhatnagar, P., Wickramasinghe, K., Williams, J., Rayner, M., and
Townsend, N. 2015. The epidemiology of cardiovascular
disease in the UK 2014. Heart, 101(15), 1182-1189.
Article 2 Bernard, S., Lux, L., and Lohr, K. 2009. Healthcare delivery
models for prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The
Health Foundation, London.
Article 3 Levy, L., and Tedstone, A. 2017, February. UK Dietary Policy for
the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. In Healthcare(Vol. 5, No.
1, p. 9). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.
Article 4 Collins, M., Mason, H., O’Flaherty, M., Guzman-Castillo, M.,
Critchley, J., and Capewell, S. 2014. An economic evaluation of salt
reduction policies to reduce coronary heart disease in England: a
policy modeling study. Value in Health, 17(5), 517-524.
Article 5 Barton, P., Andronis, L., Briggs, A., McPherson, K., and Capewell,
S. 2011. Effectiveness and cost effectiveness of cardiovascular
disease prevention in whole populations: modelling study. BMJ, 343,
d4044.
Article 6 Allen, K., Kypridemos, C., Hyseni, L., Gilmore, A. B., Diggle, P.,
Whitehead, M., ... and O’Flaherty, M. 2016. The effects of
maximizing the UK’s tobacco control score on inequalities in
smoking prevalence and premature coronary heart disease mortality:
a modelling study. BMC public health, 16(1), 292.

2Contemporary themes in healthcare
Introduction:
There is an increasing trend in the global rates of morbidity and mortality due to
cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This disease is considered as the leading contributors of
mortality rates all over the world. A review of the statistics on mortality due to CVD (as of
2015) shows that 17.7 million people have died because of this condition alone, which
amounts to about 31% of the total mortality rates in the global scale. CVD is an ‘umbrella
term’ which includes different types of cardiac diseases as well as coronary diseases which
are the most significant types of CVD. According to the World Health Organization,
Coronary and cardiac disease is responsible for approximately 7.4 million cases of mortality
as of 2015 (World Health Organization 2015). From this data, it can therefore be implied that
coronary heart disease (CHD) is a significant contributor to the global mortality rates. In the
UK, more than 25% of all mortality cases are due to CVD, while about 7 million others are
living with this disease in the UK. CHD is responsible for the highest number of death,
among all cardiovascular diseases (Bhf.org.uk. 2016). Keeping in mind such a high incidence
and health burden of this disease in the UK, the objective of the study is to analyze six
journal articles which study the incidence and management of CHD in the UK, and
understand how the disease can be managed. The paper also aims to study the frameworks,
policies as well as interventions which can be used to alleviate the risks associated with these
diseases. Based on these aspects, the paper will also outline key recommendations for
healthcare system of UK in the reduction of the incidence of this disease.
Discussion:
In order to develop a comprehension on the various management approaches,
frameworks and models applicable for UK, that are aimed to manage coronary heart diseases,

3Contemporary themes in healthcare
selection of 6 journal articles was done. This section provides the summary of these selected
articles, which will be discussed below:
Article 1 by Bhatnagar et al. (2015) studies the prevalence of CHD in the UK. The
article gives up to date statistical data on the rates of mortality, as well as the prevalence and
healthcare expenses associated with the disease in the UK. The article shows that CHD is the
most prevalent in Scotland and North England. The regional variations of these data are also
highlighted in the study. Article 2 by Bernard, Lux and Lohr (2009) analyses the different
themes associated with the delivery of healthcare in the UK, highlighting the management of
cardiac diseases like CHD. The care delivery models of CVD are summarized in the article,
outlining the preventative and palliative care and provide key insights into the care for CVD
and its prevention in a primary care setup in the UK. This was useful to understand the
preventative and primary care approaches, which was helpful to understand unknown cases
of CHD.
In the context of policies of the government aimed at the management of CHD risk
factors, two articles were identified that covered details of policies on the prevention of
cardiac diseases. In article 3 by Levy and Tedstone (2017), the authors analyses the themes
on dietary policies in the UK, aimed at the prevention of cardiac diseases. The article covers
key policy aspects in relation to the intake of energy, dietary salts, vegetable and fruits, as
well as saturated fats, oily fishes and dietary fiber required by the citizen to prevent or reduce
the risk of cardiac disease. The eat well guide is used to integrate the advices on healthy diet,
to help people understand how cardiovascular health can be improved through proper diet.
Article 4 by Collins et al. (2014) also discusses insights on policies aimed at the reduction of
salt intake to reduce the risks of CHD in England. This article helps to understand how
policies on heart diseases are designed in the UK through the analysis of cost effectiveness,
uncertainty and sensitivities of the different preventative strategies.