The 4WARD Coalition has launched AFib4WARD.com, an online tool designed to help non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AFib) patients and their healthcare providers engage in informed discussions and shared decision making; a collaborative process that takes into account the patient’s personal health factors and preferences. The new web-based tool includes resources to help promote a two-way conversation, designed to empower patients to become more informed, active decision makers in their treatment plans.
The 4WARD Coalition is a multi-disciplinary collaboration of experts dedicated to improving the quality and consistency of care for patients needing anticoagulation treatment, according to a Boehringer Ingelheim press release.
AFib4WARD.com was developed following the 4WARD Conversation Cards, a tool developed after the Coalition identified the need for shared decision making resources in the AFib community. Since its November 2015 launch, the Conversation Cards have been tested with healthcare providers across the country, with an overwhelming majority reporting the cards helped their AFib patients better understand their condition, according to the press release. Both the print and online versions of the cards are part of a broader initiative by the 4WARD Coalition.
“With knowledge and insights from various care settings, the 4WARD Coalition is well aware of the challenges in navigating an AFib diagnosis and the various treatment options. Through the successful introduction of the 4WARD Conversation Cards and recent launch of AFib4WARD.com, we are excited to further our mission of advancing shared decision making in anticoagulation care,” say 4WARD co-chairs J Donald Easton, clinical professor of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, and Christian T Ruff, associate physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and assistant professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, all USA.
The new online version of the Conversation Cards will be officially unveiled at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2016 65th Annual Scientific Session & Expo and can be accessed online at www.AFib4WARD.com.
“Boehringer Ingelheim launched the 4WARD Coalition with the vision of identifying and addressing unmet patient needs in anticoagulation care,” says Paul Fonteyne, president and chief executive officer, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals.
