As a trusted source to all stakeholders of the health care enterprise, the American College of Cardiology is primed to bring shared decision making (SDM) to the forefront of cardiovascular practices around the country. SDM has been widely advocated as an effective means for ensuring that patients and caregivers are engaged in decisions regarding elective procedures, tests and treatments so that they receive the care they prefer (27). Through the CardioSmart Shared Care Initiative, the ACC will bring together patients, caregivers, and relevant providers to achieve the following aims: 1.) Identify barriers t the dissemination of patient-centered outcomes research into cardiovascular practice 2.) Engage ACC members in understanding the importance of patient-centered outcomes research 3.) Engage ACC members and their patients in understanding that shared decision making is an appropriate method for conveying research to patients After using a mixed method approach to identify barriers to shared decision making and implementation of patient-centered outcomes research, the ACC will develop an innovative educational program specifically addressing those barriers for cardiovascular specialists. It is expected that upon completion of the program, clinicians will report a common understanding of the SDM process and a willingness to incorporate SDM into their practice. This model will be replicable by other health care professional associations throughout the country.
Cardiovascular disease is particularly well suited to patient centered outcomes research and the use of shared decision making (SDM);however, SDM is not used in standard cardiovascular practice today. Further research needs to be done regarding the barriers to SDM implementation into cardiovascular practice, and cardiovascular specialists need to be provided with education specifically designed to help breakdown those barriers.
