The heart is one of the most important organs; it’s responsible for pumping blood throughout the body. As such, an unhealthy heart poses a significant danger. To reduce the chance of serious heart complications later in life, doctors should know what information to share with their patients about heart health. If you’re a doctor, here’s a guide to how to educate your patients on heart health.
Encourage Patients To Eat Healthy
One of the first ways to combat heart disease is to encourage healthy habits that lower the risk of a patient acquiring a heart disease in the first place. Eating healthy can lower cholesterol, high blood pressure, and weight, all of which increase the likelihood of heart complications when too high. Encourage patients to eat healthy foods such as vegetables, grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meat, and advise them to avoid high sodium, high cholesterol, and high fat foods.
Encourage Patients To Stay in Shape
Staying in shape will help patients to reduce their chance of developing heart problems. Exercise, especially cardiovascular exercise, strengthens the heart and helps the entire body to get in shape. Ask your patients about their exercise habits and advise them to engage in moderate to high intensity exercise for at least one to three hours per week.
Educate Patients on Common Heart Conditions
Part of knowing how to educate your patients on heart health is knowing to regularly educate your patients on common heart conditions. If your patients are aware of common heart issues and what causes them, they’ll be able to take preventative measures against these conditions more effectively. One way to educate patients on these topics is by making informational flyers about these conditions available to them, either physically in your office or on your medical practice’s website.
Explain Testing Options
If one of your patients already has a heart condition or knows they’re at high risk for getting one later in life, be sure to educate them on the various tests to diagnose heart conditions. These tests will help to determine whether a patient has developed a heart condition. Once this is known, you can take steps to restore your patient’s heart to health.
By educating your patients in these ways, you’ll help them learn the basics about common heart conditions, reduce their chances of developing one, and be able to advise patients already fighting one.
