1 in 5 Australians are affected by Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), commonly called poor circulation.
It is a progressive disease that impacts walking capacity and quality of life.
A new pre-screening tool is now available for pharmacists to assist customers they believe may be at risk of PAD.
“Australasia has the highest PAD burden worldwide, yet up to 50% of sufferers are asymptomatic, which leads to underdiagnosis,” Dr Martha Mackay, Head of Medical and Scientific Affairs at Actegy Health said.
“We developed this screening tool for pharmacists because, as the most accessible health care professionals, they play a frontline role in community health. Pharmacists have an opportunity to identify potential sufferers.
“Due to aging populations and increases in cardiovascular risk factors, PAD is increasing in prevalence. The new pre-screening tool can help pharmacists to support people that they believe could be at risk of poor circulation and encourage them to seek further – and earlier – investigation with their GP,” she said.
Designed to help understand the risk factors, signs and potential symptoms of PAD, the tool can be downloaded here.
By answering 18 questions, the person is provided with a score that indicates their level of risk:
- Score 0-1: The patient is less likely to have PAD, however, if concerned, should reach out to a doctor for advice.
- Score 2-5: The patient would benefit from having a conversation with their doctor about PAD.
- Score 6 and more: The patient should be recommended to see a doctor for further investigation.
The tool has been developed by Actegy Health, makers of Revitive Circulation Booster – a drug-free therapy option using electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) that is clinically tested and proven to improve circulation during use.
It is the only device of its kind to be endorsed by the Australian Physiotherapy Association and included as a medical device with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (ARTG: 283529).
Recent clinical studies have shown a 3x more improvement in pain-free walking when Revitive (EMS) therapy is combined with a supervised exercise program.*
“Pharmacists can play a key role in identifying Australians that may be at risk of poor circulation and helping them to seek help early because improving circulation and enabling people to be more active in their day-to-day lives can have an incredible impact on their overall health,” Dr Mackay said.
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*Based on median % change when combined with 6-week supervised exercise program compared with supervised exercise only. (Babber A, Ravikumar R, Onida S, Lane TRA, Davies AH. Effect of footplate neuromuscular electrical stimulation on functional and quality-of-life parameters in patients with peripheral artery disease: pilot, and subsequent randomized clinical trial. Br J Surg. 2020;107(4):355-363. doi:10.1002/bjs.11398.)
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