Patient Engagement Strategies for Implementing Evidence-Based Care in Atherosclerosis.

Source: PubMed, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine

Despite continuing therapeutic advances in cardiovascular disease, it remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the US. The current challenge is not the development of therapeutics but rather patient engagement and compliance with medical recommendations. Here in this narrative expert review we discuss strategies to improve patient engagement in cardiovascular care. There is a varying level of data surrounding different patient education strategies in the care of atherosclerosis. There are three main categories of interventions reviewed with evidence of efficacy: personalized and accessible patient education, digital health interventions, and implementation of personalized medicine via genetic testing. Implementing strategies in the clinic such as personalizededucation at an accessible health literacy level, digital health interventions,and even genetic testing may improve patient engagement and outcomes.