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STUDY QUESTION Can one tablet containing aspirin, statin, and blood pressure lowering agents improve adherence and risk factor control compared with usual care of patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease in primary care? SUMMARY ANSWER Fixed dose combination treatment improved adherence to all the recommended drugs, but improvements in clinical risk factors were small and did not reach statistical significance. WHAT IS KNOWN AND WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS Two recent long term trials indicate large improvements in self reported adherence to the recommended drugs and modest improvements in risk factor control in high risk patients receiving fixed dose combination treatment. The main findings of this trial were consistent with those of the earlier trials, and acceptability for this treatment was high among general practitioners and patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examined whether individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease can be effectively managed by non-clinical staff through the use of digital health technologies and the telephone. Based on the results, participants who received intervention registered lower blood pressure and weight but not in cholesterol level, smoking status and cardiovascular risk. The other observed benefits include improved physical activity and drug adherence.