Group Medical Visits for Patients With Dyslipidemia

Physicians' interventions to promote the improvement of lifestyle habits have been shown to be effective. However, such interventions remain underutilized due to barriers such as lack of time, confidence, and compensation. Group medical visits (GMVs) can help overcome several of these barriers and effectively improve clinical indicators as well as patients' quality of life. GMVs could also reduce pressure on the healthcare system by improving access to primary care through a more efficient use of resources. The literature suggests that GMVs can be effective in improving access to care and reducing disease complications for patients with several conditions and risk factors, but they have not been assessed specifically among patients with dyslipidemia, which is at the origin of most cases of cardiovascular diseases. In this context, GMVs will be implemented among 144 patients with dyslipidemia. The objective for this project is to evaluate implementation of GMVs. The implementation evaluation will follow the RE-AIM framework. These steps will position the research team to develop more complex and large-scale studies in lifestyle medicine. In the meantime, the project will contribute to improve access to primary care for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.