On the European Day for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Risk, we are proud to officially launch the RESIL-Card tool – a practical, evidence-based instrument developed to help cardiovascular professionals assess, strengthen, and future-proof their care pathways.
As a structured self-assessment and improvement tool designed specifically for hospital-based cardiovascular teams, RESIL-Card enables professionals and institutions to proactively evaluate the resilience of their services and reinforce the continuity of lifesaving care — before disruption occurs.
The tool supports cardiovascular teams by helping them to:
- Identify gaps in care pathways
- Evaluate vulnerabilities in service delivery
- Anticipate risks to continuity of care
- Implement targeted improvement actions
- Strengthen resilience in both routine practice and crisis situations
Rather than reacting when systems are already under strain, RESIL-Card empowers teams to prepare in advance. It provides a clear, practical framework to safeguard pre-hospital diagnosis and primary care, treatment delivery, follow-up care, secondary prevention and multidisciplinary coordination — even during pandemics, natural disasters, workforce shortages, or other systemic shocks.
The hands-on RESIL-Card tool translates resilience, a rather abstract concept, into actionable steps that can be embedded into everyday clinical practice. In doing so, it strengthens not only emergency preparedness but also overall care quality and performance, as well as communication between stakeholders.
The RESIL-Card tool is now available online 👉
https://www.wecareabouthearts.org/resil-card/online-tool/
The launch of the RESIL-Card tool is timely, given the critical state of cardiovascular health in Europe. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality across the continent. Prevention strategies, early diagnosis, and long-term disease management are central pillars of EU health policy. However, these efforts can only succeed if healthcare systems remain stable, accessible, and coordinated — especially during times of crisis.
Recent years have demonstrated how quickly essential services can be disrupted. Sharp decline in lifesaving interventions, delayed diagnostics, postponed follow-up appointments, and weakened multidisciplinary coordination have had serious consequences for patients living with CVD.
Prevention does not exist in isolation. Risk reduction strategies are only effective when healthcare systems can:
- Maintain diagnostic and treatment services, particularly acute management of high-risk patients
- Ensure follow-up and long-term disease management
- Protect vulnerable patients during crises
- Sustain coordinated multidisciplinary care
Resilience is therefore no longer optional — it is a prerequisite for high-quality cardiovascular care and effective prevention. Today, we move beyond awareness toward preparedness.
We invite cardiovascular professionals across Europe to adopt the tool, integrate resilience thinking into routine practice, and embed system preparedness into standard clinical care.
On this European Day for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Risk, we reaffirm a broader commitment: not only to prevent cardiovascular disease, but to ensure that care remains accessible, continuous, and resilient when it is needed most.
