How to Talk About Cardiovascular Health

Posted on November 19, 2024

Finding a compassionate way to talk with patients about heart-healthy lifestyle choices can be challenging, but it is essential. An estimated 80% of cardiovascular diseases — including heart disease and stroke — are preventable, and heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, according to the American Heart Association. Cardiovascular disease is also the most expensive disease, costing nearly $1 billion a day.

Healthcare providers have an opportunity to help patients improve their cardiovascular health, prevent premature death and enhance their quality of life. But some may struggle to find effective dialogue that encourages patients to create a more heart-healthy lifestyle. This article aims to guide clinicians’ conversations around cardiovascular health with patients and others outside the healthcare field.

The Importance of Maintaining Cardiovascular Health

Cardiovascular health refers to the health of the heart and blood vessels and is crucially responsible for what gives our bodies life. The cardiovascular system transports nutrients, oxygen-rich blood and other substances throughout our bodies and allows our cells and organs to perform their jobs.

The most common heart and artery disease is coronary heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease. It occurs when the major arteries that feed the heart become inflamed and blocked with cholesterol deposits — or plaques — that reduce blood flow to the heart.

Other health problems that cardiovascular disease can cause include:

Heart attacks
Strokes
Heart failure
Arrhythmia
Heart valve problems

The silver lining is that since cardiovascular disease takes decades to develop, patients can take action to prevent it through education in several areas, such as:

Eating a heart-healthy diet
Getting regular physical activity
Maintaining a healthy weight
Managing stress
Controlling blood pressure and cholesterol
Quitting smoking
Minimizing alcohol consumption

Who Is at Risk for Heart Disease?

Anyone can get heart disease, but certain characteristics put people at a higher risk. Patients have an increased likelihood of heart disease if they are overweight or obese, have a lack of daily exercise, or have a poor/unhealthy diet. Having diabetes, hypertension or hyperlipidemia as well as being a smoker also contribute to a higher risk.

A patient’s age and genetics are also factors to pay attention to. Men over 45 and women over 55 are more likely to develop heart disease. Plus, there’s a greater risk if someone has a father or brother who had heart disease before age 55 or a mother or sister with it before 65.

How to Talk About Cardiovascular Health

Effective communication about cardiovascular disease is valuable as it can:

Help patients make well-informed decisions
Improve the patient’s quality of care
Reduce barriers to care due to miscommunication
Encourage patient engagement in their health
Promote sustainable behavior change
Strengthen the patient-healthcare provider relationship

Clinicians can encourage patients to make healthy lifestyle changes with simple yet compassionate conversation. Consider approaching the topic by first communicating that you care. Here are a few ways to start:

“I want to help you live your best quality of life for as long as possible.”
“I want you to learn healthy lifestyle habits because I care.”
“I want you to live a full and active life and continue doing the things you love.”

When you’re determining what your patient knows about cardiovascular health, ask open-ended questions. Listening to their response can save time, and you can then tailor your teachings to what they need to be more familiar with. Some phrasings you could use include:

“Are you familiar with heart disease?”
“Do you know what causes heart disease and how to prevent it?”
“Do you know your risk factors for heart disease?”

It is imperative to remember that many patients are unfamiliar with common medical terms that health professionals use regularly. They may even be too embarrassed or ashamed to admit to you that they don’t understand the language. When in doubt, explain terminology in its most basic form. One way to boost understanding is to break down medical terms by explaining their root words — how “cardio-” means heart, “myo-” means muscle and “-pathy” means disease.

After going over explanatory information, you might also ask your patients to use their own words to explain it back to you to ensure they understood. Another strong communication tactic is to encourage patients to write down their questions for future appointments ahead of time or even email them to you. This can help foster a sense of ownership over their healthcare.

Explain Specific Ways to Prevent Heart Disease

Encourage patients and their loved ones to take specific steps to improve heart health. For example, you might say:

“Eating healthy food is important for heart health. Shop for heart-healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, fat-free or low-fat dairy and oils. Is there a friend or family member you can go grocery shopping with?”
“Regular movement is excellent for heart health. How can you fit 30 minutes of walking into your day?”
“It is important to quit smoking to lower your risk of heart disease. You can get free help by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).”

Consider closing the conversation by asking if there are any ways you can help, such as: