Shared Decision-Making and Cardiovascular Health

Published: August 14, 2023

Doctors in hospital talking with patient
  • The concept of shared decision making (SDM) as patient involvement in patient-clinician communication and health care decisions is increasingly being embraced in health care and recommended in cardiovascular (CV) guidelines to promote health equity and improve health outcomes, yet SDM models in CV care and evaluation are still emerging.
  • SDM promotes equity via patients and clinicians sharing the best available evidence as well as the needs, values and experiences of individuals and their families when making health care decisions.
  • Strategies to promote SDM include educating clinicians on communication techniques, use of multidisciplinary medical teams, incorporating trained decision coaches and using appropriate decision aids to support patients in their CV decisions.