A Google search for heart conditions will now prominently display important questions patients should ask their doctor based on ACC's clinical guidelines.

The ACC teamed up with Google to create a list of essential questions that patients should ask their doctors about conditions like heart attack, coronary artery disease, hypertension, high cholesterol and atrial fibrillation through a new "Ask a Doctor" feature that appears within Google Health Knowledge Graphs, the in-depth search result that appears for health related conditions. The "Ask a Doctor" information is the first listing under the "treatments" tab.

"This is a unique opportunity to marry the broad reach and power of Google's Internet search engine with the clinical and scientific expertise of the ACC," said ACC Chief Innovation Officer John Rumsfeld, MD, PhD, FACC. "This project makes it easier for the public to get accurate answers to health and medical care questions, and will aid in promoting engagement between patients and their clinicians."

The ACC reached out to leading experts who helped develop cardiovascular guidelines to create questions and answers for the public. The goal is to make it easy for patients to access guideline information in order to spark conversations with their doctors about recommended treatments and encourage patients to be fully engaged in decisions about their care.

The Health Knowledge Graphs also include links to CardioSmart.org, ACC's patient engagement and empowerment initiative, directing users to information in line with ACC's guideline recommendations. CardioSmart.org has condition centers on all of the conditions that appear in the "Ask a Doctor" feature: heart attack, coronary artery disease, hypertension, high cholesterol and atrial fibrillation.

The basic information is not intended to provide medical advice, but it can help educate people on what questions to ask their doctor. Given the importance of these topics in the treatment of patients, the knowledge graphs also include a share feature to facilitate sharing information with friends and family who may have heart disease.

"This partnership serves as an example of the ACC's commitment to innovation in health care. Yet, it is important to emphasize that provision of health information, although important, is just one component of patient engagement," write Rumsfeld; Patrick T. O'Gara, MD, MACC; and Kapil Parakh, MD, MPH, PhD, FACC, in a Leadership Page in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). "Working with Google and through multiple other projects and partnerships, the ACC will continue to strive to provide tools to its members to engage patients, support longitudinal medication and life-style adherence, and navigate the rapid changes in the health care environment."

Read more about the partnership in JACC.

Door-to-Balloon 10 Years Later: Successful Model Sets the Stage for the Next Generation of ACC's QI Programs Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. ACC: Paving the Pathway to Clinical Excellence Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. Get to Know Your Leaders: ACC.17 Chair Jeffrey T. Kuvin, MD, FACC and Vice Chair Andrew M. Kates, MD, FACC Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. Cardiovascular Innovation: Moving Cardiovascular Care Forward Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. ACC Shares Guideline-Based Information via Google Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. Cardiologist Dedicates Career to Carrying on a Legacy Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. Raymond Bahr, MD, FACC: The Man Behind the Early Heart Attack Care Education Program and SCPC Accreditation Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. Creating an Education Environment to Spur Innovation in Medicine and Science Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. Looking Ahead: What’s in Store For the New Medicare Payment System in 2017 Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. ACC Global Education Program on Heart Disease Prevention Expands to 10 Countries Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. ACC Statement Stresses Importance of EHR Interoperability Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. ACC’s First Regional Conferences a Resounding Success Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. Shifting the Paradigm: Cardiology and Population Health Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. Special Issue of JACC Broadly Examines the Global Promotion of CV Health Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. Recap From ESC Congress 2016 Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. Cardiac Imaging Think Tank Report Embraces Quality and Innovation For the Future Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. Health Affairs Committee Member Publishes Book on New Health Care System Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology. In Memoriam: Joseph Lee Garvey Jr., MD, FACC Read the full Fall 2016 issue of Cardiology at ACC.org/Cardiology.

Keywords: Atrial Fibrillation, Cholesterol, Coronary Artery Disease, Goals, Heart Diseases, Hypertension, Information Dissemination, Internet, Leadership, Myocardial Infarction, Patient Participation, Search Engine, United States, Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications

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