The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued a scientific statement emphasizing the importance of patient-centered care in adult cardiovascular medicine. Patient-centered care is defined as a collaborative approach that involves the patient, family, and healthcare team in decision-making, tailored to the patient's beliefs, preferences, and values. This approach aims to enhance patient engagement, shared decision-making, and personalized care, ultimately improving outcomes. The statement highlights the need for healthcare professionals to integrate patient-centered care into routine practice, addressing challenges such as time constraints, competing priorities, and system-level barriers. Key components include: 1. **Shared Decision-Making**: Engaging patients in discussions about their treatment options, risks, and benefits, and ensuring they understand the implications of their decisions. 2. **Collaborative Care**: Forming interprofessional teams to provide comprehensive, coordinated care, especially for patients with complex needs or from underrepresented groups. 3. **Patient-Oriented Medication Management**: Tailoring medication regimens to individual patient needs, considering factors like drug interactions, patient compliance, and cost. 4. **Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs)**: Collecting and using PROs to monitor patient well-being and guide treatment decisions, particularly in chronic conditions. 5. **Challenges and Solutions**: Addressing barriers such as lack of access, health literacy, and cultural differences, and implementing strategies like patient decision aids, telemedicine, and AI to enhance patient-centered care. The statement also emphasizes the importance of patient and copatient perspectives, the need for education and training in patient-centered care, and the role of technology in improving care. It calls for a shift in healthcare metrics from volume-based to patient-centered outcomes and encourages collaboration among healthcare providers, systems, and policymakers to ensure equitable and high-quality cardiovascular care.The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued a scientific statement emphasizing the importance of patient-centered care in adult cardiovascular medicine. Patient-centered care is defined as a collaborative approach that involves the patient, family, and healthcare team in decision-making, tailored to the patient's beliefs, preferences, and values. This approach aims to enhance patient engagement, shared decision-making, and personalized care, ultimately improving outcomes. The statement highlights the need for healthcare professionals to integrate patient-centered care into routine practice, addressing challenges such as time constraints, competing priorities, and system-level barriers. Key components include: 1. **Shared Decision-Making**: Engaging patients in discussions about their treatment options, risks, and benefits, and ensuring they understand the implications of their decisions. 2. **Collaborative Care**: Forming interprofessional teams to provide comprehensive, coordinated care, especially for patients with complex needs or from underrepresented groups. 3. **Patient-Oriented Medication Management**: Tailoring medication regimens to individual patient needs, considering factors like drug interactions, patient compliance, and cost. 4. **Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs)**: Collecting and using PROs to monitor patient well-being and guide treatment decisions, particularly in chronic conditions. 5. **Challenges and Solutions**: Addressing barriers such as lack of access, health literacy, and cultural differences, and implementing strategies like patient decision aids, telemedicine, and AI to enhance patient-centered care. The statement also emphasizes the importance of patient and copatient perspectives, the need for education and training in patient-centered care, and the role of technology in improving care. It calls for a shift in healthcare metrics from volume-based to patient-centered outcomes and encourages collaboration among healthcare providers, systems, and policymakers to ensure equitable and high-quality cardiovascular care.