Background
Time to Talk CARDIO (Creating A Real Dialogue In the Office) is a free online program that helps patients and health professionals build communication skills so they can make the most of their conversations about heart health. Canyon Ranch Institute is a founding member of the partnership because of our commitment to advancing health literacy and preventing chronic disease. The Time to Talk CARDIO founding partners are the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Foundation, Merck, and RIASWorks.
Canyon Ranch Institute President Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, is chair of the Time to Talk CARDIO Advisory Board. Canyon Ranch Institute Executive Director Jennifer Cabe, M.A., and Canyon Ranch Institute Health Literacy and Research Director Andrew Pleasant, Ph.D., serve on the Time to Talk CARDIO Advisory Board.
How We're Making a Difference
Research shows that skilled communication may help health care professionals have greater satisfaction; and studies have found that better patient recall of instructions, satisfaction with care, adherence to medical recommendations and appointment keeping can be related to improved communication.
A key component of the Time to Talk CARDIO program is a customized educational tool that features more than 550 videos of patients and health care professionals demonstrating key communication skills that are related to good heart health. Time to Talk CARDIO has also been adapted to a Spanish-language version of the program, Hora de Hablar CARDIO.
In 2010, the non-profit Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) recognized Time to Talk CARDIO with their Health Literacy Award for Innovative Programs.
Time to Talk CARDIO is currently being used in health care settings across the United States, and several physician practices are continuing to assess the program.
Evaluation
Initial research showed that the Time to Talk CARDIO program significantly increased overall use of communication skills and improved overall satisfaction with medical visits. Likewise, preliminary testing with 24 health care professionals also reported a significant increase in overall communication skill use and statistically significant improvement in overall satisfaction with visit communication. In separate research conducted with 100 patients at the Oregon Health & Science University in conjunction with Canyon Ranch Institute, results found a significant improvement in several dimensions of effective patient-provider communication and satisfaction.
To learn more about Time to Talk CARDIO, visit www.timetotalkcardio.com.
¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/pdf/2010/dhdsp.pdf.
