Carlos Brotons, Irene Moral, Tom Axelrod, John Brandt Brodersen, Carlos Martins, Serdar Öztora , Iva Petričušić, Veerle Piessens, Carlen Reyes , Laura Rodriguez-Benito, Andras Terebessi
European Journal of General Practice 32(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2026.2729221
What should GPs do when different guidelines give different recommendations?
In our new narrative review, Carlos Brotons and Irene Moral compared major international guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention, focusing specifically on low-value and potentially unnecessary practices.
We found important discrepancies, particularly regarding:
• coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring
• lipoprotein(a) testing
• screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm
• starting lipid-lowering treatment in older adults
For the same preventive practice, some guidelines recommend it use, while others recommend against it or do not address it at all. These discrepancies are particularly apparent where the underlying evidence is uncertain, or recommendations rely on non-randomised studies or expert opinion.
The message for general practice? Where robust evidence is lacking, caution is warranted before introducing additional screening, testing or treatment into preventive care.
The review also highlights the importance of developing prevention recommendations that reflect the specific context of general practice.
Read the full open-access article in the European Journal of General Practice:
https://lnkd.in/eennqNTc
Published on 22 September 2026.