Exploring Psoriasis Patients’ Experiences of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Discussions With Primary Care Practitioners: a Qualitative Study.

Abstract

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) screening occurs in primary care settings in the UK. People with psoriasis may particularly benefit from screening because unhealthy lifestyle behaviours in this group are high. This study explored psoriasis patients’ experiences of discussing CVD risk with primary care practitioners. Method Semi-structured interviews explored views and experiences of 29 people with psoriasis who had taken part in an audio-recorded CVD risk assessment. ‘Tape-assisted-recall’ informed questioning and data were analysed using Framework Analysis principles. Findings Patients reported: 1) learning little new or personally meaningful knowledge and understanding about CVD risk; 2) strong emotional reactions to risk discussions; and 3) minimal risk discussion with practitioners during consultations. Conclusions Risk discussions with people with psoriasis during CVD screening may be limited because practitioners do not assess patients’ pre-existing understanding of risk, address associated emotional reactions, or tailor discussions to patients’ concerns. Facilitating practitioners to address these issues could improve effectiveness of such screenings.