Can Australia do better at detecting heart valve disease?
GPs are 'hesitant' to perform auscultation unless a specific symptom is reported, say study authors.
Timely detection of heart valve disease is suboptimal because patients do not know what it is and GPs do not routinely perform auscultation, an Australian study suggests.
WA researchers, in collaboration with valve maker Edwards Lifesciences, tested knowledge of aortic stenosis and frequency of GP auscultation among more than 1000 patients aged over 60.
