Heart attack patients want a say in their treatment, according to a research letter released online this week for the JAMA Internal Medicine.
 
Researchers asked 6,636 acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients who they thought should make decisions on treatment options. More than two-thirds indicated a preference for an active role in the decision-making process. And a quarter of those patients preferred that the decision be theirs alone.
 
But the call for shared decision-making for AMI patients is just one of three studies featured on the online journal targeting patient roles in treatment decisions.
 
And plenty more studies have proceeded. Yet shared decision making has not been integrated into routine medical care, say researchers. Why? Authors point to a common perception (now perhaps a misconception) that most patients defer to their physicians for medical decisions.
 
Physicians should start asking patients the simple question “how involved in treatment decisions do you want to be,” say researchers.
For tips on coding for AMI-related procedures including percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), turn to Cardiology Coder’s Pink Sheet.