Addressing Patient Engagement Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Heart disease is a generalized term that includes hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, and more. This assessment will focus on cardiac arrhythmias in the older population. Heart arrhythmias are widespread in the population. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it is estimated that about 1.5-5% of individuals in the United States have a type of arrhythmia (Cleveland Clinic Medical, 2023). Arrhythmias include abnormal heartbeats and can originate from the atrium or ventricle of the heart. When patients are first diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmias, they must understand their heart disease, the risks, and the treatment plans. Interdisciplinary teams will work together to implement a patient-centered care plan. The plan is favorable when patients and their families are engaged. "Patients who participate in their decisions report higher levels of satisfaction with their care; have increased knowledge about conditions, tests, and treatment; have more realistic expectations about benefits and harms; are more likely to adhere to screening, diagnostics, or treatments plans; have reduced anxiety, and even have improved health outcomes" (Krist et al., 2020). Patient engagement can improve their overall experience and outcomes. Some obstacles that concern the patient's health, economic, and cultural needs can occur. Information and Communication Treating patients in the community can open the door to having patients from different ethnic groups, cultural beliefs, education levels, and age groups. Treating patients with several different backgrounds can cause limitations. Patients can need help communicating from language barriers and educational levels. To remove the gap, professionals used resources to
3 improve consumer health literacy. "Consumer health is the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others" (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services designed a national plan that provides everyone access to accurate and actionable health information, delivers person-centered health information and services, and supports lifelong learning and skills to promote good health (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.)
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