CHICAGO – Obstetrician-gynecologists have a unique and largely unaddressed opportunity to improve cardiovascular disease prevention, clinical care, and outcomes in their patients, a survey suggests.
Of 641 patients aged 18-40 years who were surveyed, 65% said their ob.gyn. is the doctor with whom they feel most comfortable, 41% said their ob.gyn. is their "main doctor," and 50% said their ob.gyn. is the one doctor they prefer to see. Of 52 ob.gyns. surveyed, 60% said they consider themselves primary care physicians, yet only 35% of the patients said their ob.gyn. discusses heart health during annual visits, Dr. Mary L. Rosser of Montefiore Medical Center, New York, reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Less than half (47%) of the physician respondents said they discuss risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and 16% educate patients about signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke, Dr. Rosser found.
The findings are of concern because only 28% of the patients overall correctly identified heart disease as the "No. 1 killer of women," and only 21% of minority women and 22% of 18- to 40-year-olds did so, she noted.
Survey respondents were patients aged 18-40 years, as well as 356 women aged 40 or older, from five ob.gyn. offices affiliated with an ethnically diverse urban hospital in New York, and faculty respondents were affiliated with the same institution. Patients completed a 33-question survey that included items about which physician they prefer to see, and physicians completed a 19-question survey that addressed their perceptions of their primary care practices – and in particular, their cardiovascular disease practices.
The findings showed that cardiovascular disease awareness was low in this patient population, especially among young, nonwhite women, and that ob.gyns. do not appear to be providing education aimed at the prevention of cardiovascular disease, according to Dr. Rosser.
"The unique relationship between a woman and her ob.gyn., especially among 18- to 40-year-olds, provides an opportunity to influence change and empower patients to lead more healthful lives," she wrote, adding that educational strategies targeted to both women and their providers would improve awareness of chronic disease processes such as cardiovascular disease.
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Heart Association have some basic information about heart disease in women on their websites.
Dr. Rosser reported having no relevant financial disclosures.