NHS Health Check programme: A rapid review update

L. Tanner, R. P.W. Kenny, M. Still, J. Ling, F. Pearson*, K. Thompson, R. Bhardwaj-Gosling

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    13 Citations (Scopus)
    144 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    OBJECTIVE: To update a rapid review published in 2017, which evaluated the NHS Health Check programme. 

    METHODS: An enlarged body of evidence was used to readdress six research objectives from a rapid review published in 2017, relating to the uptake, patient experiences and effectiveness of the NHS Health Check programme. Data sources included MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, Health Management Information Consortium (HMIC), Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Global Health, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, NHS Evidence, Google Scholar, Google, ClinicalTrials.gov and the ISRCTN registry, Web of Science, Science Citation Index, The Cochrane Library, NHS Evidence, OpenGrey and hand searching article reference lists. These searches identified records from between January 1996 and December 2019. Screening, data extraction and quality appraisal using the Critical Appraisals Skills Programme checklists were performed in duplicate. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluations was implemented. Data were synthesised narratively. 

    RESULTS: 697 studies were identified, and 29 new studies included in the review update. The number of published studies on the uptake, patient experiences and effectiveness of the NHS Health Check programme has increased by 43% since the rapid review published in 2017. However, findings from the original review remain largely unchanged. NHS Health Checks led to an overall increase in the detection of raised risk factors and morbidities including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, raised blood pressure, cholesterol and chronic kidney disease. Individuals most likely to attend the NHS Health Check programme included women, persons aged ≥60 years and those from more socioeconomically advantaged backgrounds. Opportunistic invitations increased uptake among men, younger persons and those with a higher deprivation level. 

    CONCLUSIONS: Although results are inconsistent between studies, the NHS Health Check programme is associated with increased detection of heightened cardiovascular disease risk factors and diagnoses. Uptake varied between population subgroups. Opportunistic invitations may increase uptake.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article numbere052832
    JournalBMJ Open
    Volume12
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 16 Feb 2022

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information: The funding to conduct the project was awarded by Public Health England [grant number 191209]. In addition, JL received funding for open-access publication costs from Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health (www.fuse.ac.uk). The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily represent those of the funders or UKRI and the funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

    The research funding for this project was won by academics from Sunderland and Newcastle Universities in an open national competition from Public Health England (PHE). KT is Head of the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Programme at PHE.

    Open Access: This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.

    Publisher Copyright: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

    Citation: Tanner L, Kenny R, Still M, et al. NHS Health Check programme: a rapid review update. BMJ Open 2022;12:e052832.

    DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052832

    Keywords

    • coronary heart disease
    • general medicine (see internal medicine)
    • preventive medicine
    • public health

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