CONGRESS ABSTRACT

Aesthetic medicine clinics attract a heterogeneous population seeking wellbeing, improved body image and greater self-esteem. Many of these individuals, often adults aged 30–65 years, present unrecognized or inadequately managed cardiovascular risk factors and rarely access conventional cardiology pathways spontaneously, making this setting an unconventional gateway of extraordinary potential for both primary and secondary prevention. Nurses, thanks to advanced skills in assessment, communication and patient-centred education, can position themselves as frontline professionals capable of early detection of such risks and of guiding patients towards the most appropriate care pathways. The project proposes a nurse-led integrated model of opportunistic cardiovascular screening delivered directly within aesthetic medicine clinics, evaluating its feasibility, acceptability and clinical relevance. The model includes, before the aesthetic procedure and without requiring additional appointments, a dedicated nursing encounter comprising structured history taking, targeted symptom exploration, blood pressure measurement, opportunistic ECG acquisition when indicated and use of validated cardiovascular risk estimation tools. This approach enables the identification of clinically significant red flags such as arrhythmic symptoms, previously undiagnosed hypertension, family history of premature cardiovascular disease, metabolic abnormalities (dyslipidaemia, glycaemic alterations), smoking habit and sedentary lifestyle, as well as conditions of particular vulnerability such as the postpartum period. Special attention is devoted to smoking status and physical activity levels, with brief motivational counselling specifically aimed at smoking cessation and promotion of regular moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity, fully integrated into the aesthetic-wellbeing plan. Patients with positive findings are fast-tracked to cardiology, while all clients receive short nurse-led counselling linking self-esteem, body image, smoking, physical activity and long-term cardiovascular health. Initial applications demonstrate very high acceptability by both patients and aesthetic physicians, who perceive nurse-led screening and counselling on modifiable risk factors – particularly previously unknown hypertension, dyslipidaemia, smoking and sedentary behaviour – as a genuine added value rather than a workflow disruption.