Lesson 1Directed chest pain history: characteristics, radiation, duration, exertional vs rest, associated symptoms (sweating, nausea, fainting)This section teaches a focused, structured chest pain history, including location, quality, radiation, duration, triggers, and associated symptoms, to distinguish ischaemic, pulmonary, musculoskeletal, and gastrointestinal causes and guide next steps in primary care.
Location, quality, and radiation of chest painOnset, duration, and temporal pain patternsExertional, positional, and pleuritic featuresAssociated symptoms: sweating, nausea, faintingDifferentiating cardiac from noncardiac painLesson 2Genitourinary and endocrine screening: frequent urination, excessive thirst, night-time urination, erectile dysfunction, weight changes, family history of diabetesThis section outlines targeted genitourinary and endocrine screening relevant to cardiometabolic disease, including frequent urination, excessive thirst, night-time urination, erectile dysfunction, weight change, and diabetes family history, to uncover undiagnosed or poorly controlled disease.
Frequent urination, excessive thirst, and high blood sugar cluesNight-time urination patterns and fluid status assessmentErectile dysfunction and vascular riskUnintentional weight loss or gain patternsFamily history of diabetes and endocrine diseaseLesson 3Medication, allergy, and supplement review: over-the-counter meds, herbal remedies, NSAID use and potential blood pressure effectsThis section explains how to obtain a precise medication, allergy, and supplement history, including over-the-counter meds, herbal products, and NSAID use, with emphasis on interactions, blood pressure effects, adherence, and documentation for safe prescribing.
Systematic prescription medication reconciliationIdentifying and classifying drug allergiesOver-the-counter and herbal supplement interaction risksNSAID use, fluid retention, and blood pressure elevationAssessing adherence and barriers to regimensLesson 4Symptom red flags and timeline: sudden worsening, fainting, coughing up blood, lower-limb swelling, feverThis section covers identification of symptom red flags and temporal patterns, including sudden worsening, fainting, coughing up blood, oedema, and fever, and teaches how to construct timelines that guide triage, differential diagnosis, and escalation.
Eliciting sudden versus gradual symptom onsetRecognising fainting and pre-fainting red flagsCoughing up blood, fever, and infection concernsLower-limb swelling and fluid overloadConstructing a clear symptom chronologyLesson 5Functional and cognitive screening: activities of daily living, depression/anxiety screening, cognition relevant to shared decision-making and adherenceThis section addresses functional and cognitive screening in cardiometabolic care, including activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, mood, cognition, and health literacy, to identify limitations that affect prognosis, shared decisions, and treatment adherence.
Assessing activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily livingScreening for depression and anxiety symptomsBrief cognitive screening tools in practiceEvaluating health literacy and understandingLinking function and cognition to adherenceLesson 6Social determinants and behavioural risk factors: tobacco use history (pack-years), alcohol use screening (AUDIT-C principles), diet, sleep, occupational activityThis section details how to assess social determinants and behaviours that shape cardiometabolic and cardiopulmonary risk, including tobacco, alcohol, diet, sleep, and occupational activity, and how to document and counsel patients effectively.
Assessing tobacco history and pack-year calculationScreening alcohol use with AUDIT-C principlesEvaluating diet quality and cardiometabolic impactSleep duration, quality, and cardiopulmonary effectsOccupational activity, sedentary time, and workloadLesson 7Cardiovascular risk and past medical history: prior high blood pressure, high cholesterol, known coronary artery disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease, medications and adherenceThis section reviews how to obtain targeted cardiovascular risk and past medical history, including high blood pressure, lipids, coronary artery disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease, diabetes, and medication adherence, to estimate risk and tailor prevention and treatment plans.
Documenting high blood pressure and blood pressure control historyHigh cholesterol, statin use, and lipid goalsPrior coronary artery disease, heart attack, revascularisation, and anginaHistory of stroke, transient ischaemic attack, and peripheral artery diseaseDiabetes, chronic kidney disease, and other risk-enhancing factorsLesson 8Shortness of breath and exertional intolerance: onset, orthopnoea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea, dyspnoea on exertion, activity level quantification, prior baseline functionThis section focuses on structured assessment of shortness of breath and exertional intolerance, including onset, triggers, orthopnoea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea, dyspnoea on exertion, and baseline function, to differentiate cardiac, pulmonary, and other causes and guide urgency of evaluation.
Characterising onset, pattern, and progressionOrthopnoea and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoeaQuantifying dyspnoea on exertion and activity limitationsComparing current status to prior baselineDistinguishing cardiac from pulmonary shortness of breath
