Shared medical appointments in pulmonary hypertension

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pulmonology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Pulmonary hypertension (PH) requires comprehensive patient management.
• Traditional one-on-one appointments may not fully address patient education and psychosocial needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt the shared medical appointment (SMA) model for pulmonary hypertension (PH) patient care.
• To evaluate patient satisfaction and outcomes within the adapted SMA model.

Main Methods:

• An SMA team comprising a PH specialist, nurse, and fellow conducted group sessions.
• Sessions included a 30-minute educational presentation followed by individual patient visits with group interaction.
• Fifty-three PH patients and family members were invited and encouraged to attend.

Main Results:

• 84% of patients expressed willingness to attend future SMAs.
• 98% rated the care as excellent to very good.
• 92% reported improved understanding of PH and treatment; 59% preferred group visits.
• 25% considered changing treatment based on peer discussions; privacy concerns were minimal (76% before, 88% after).

Conclusions:

• The SMA model enhances PH patient understanding of their disease and treatment.
• It successfully integrates peer support, social interaction, and emotional support.
• The model shows potential applicability to other rare pulmonary diseases.