The chances of survival 30 days after experiencing cardiovascular disease don't entirely reflect how well hospitals care for patients. This is because they're influenced by how quickly patients receive preventive and emergency care. When different levels of care work together effectively, it means fewer unnecessary hospital readmissions and lower mortality rates after patients leave hospital.

High rates of adverse outcomes within one year of being discharged from stroke and heart failure highlights the need for better integration of different levels of care. In 2021, for example, 25% of patients died and 32% were readmitted after suffering heart failure. And in some OECD countries only 33% of stroke patients received treatment for high blood pressure and blood clots following international guidelines on stroke management.

Despite substantial declines in mortality from circulatory diseases, heart attacks remain one of the leading causes of death and the main cause of cardiovascular death in many OECD countries. Many deaths could be prevented, but trends in several risk factors are heading in the wrong direction. For example, while smoking rates have fallen overall, cholesterol, high blood pressure, low physical activity, obesity and diabetes are on the rise in many OECD countries. 

A number of public health, fiscal and regulatory measures can incentivise citizens to adopt healthier lifestyles, thereby reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases on societies.

Data availability is an obstacle to the timely monitoring of cardiovascular disease.  Linking data from different sources (e.g. primary and hospital care records, clinical data and death records) can greatly enhance the assessment of risk factors, health care needs and use of health care services.

As populations age, and more people live with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, additional pressure is placed on primary care services, for which data is mostly lacking. The International Survey of People Living with Chronic Conditions  (PaRIS) aims to fill this critical gap, by asking patients about their experiences with care coordination in primary care practices, as well as quality of life, pain, physical functioning  and mental health.