Understanding Patient Adherence and Concerns with STatins and MedicatION Discussions With Physicians (ACTION): A survey on the patient perspective of dialogue with healthcare providers regarding statin therapy

Background Statins are first‐line for cholesterol lowering and prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), but their use is complicated by side effects and potential for drug–drug interactions. Provider‐patient communication is the basis of the recommended shared decision‐making, but relatively little is known about this in the context of statin use. Methods We surveyed 5014 US adults prescribed a statin for hypercholesterolemia to learn their perspectives on communication with their provider. Results Ninety‐four percent reported currently taking a statin while 6% had stopped. Past users vs current users were more likely to be female, age < 65 years, and to have fewer cardiovascular disease–related comorbidities (hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and coronary heart disease, respectively). Although 93% of current statin users were taking ≥1 other prescription medications (median of 4), 76% were “not at all”/“not very concerned” about potential drug–drug interactions with their statin, and fewer than one‐quarter recalled mention of these from their provider. Ninety‐five percent of subjects said it was “extremely”/“somewhat” important that their healthcare provider take “an individualized approach to selecting the right statin,” but 73% and 76%, respectively, said their statin choice was made with little or no input from them. Only 25% were told that “some statins might be more likely than others to interact with other medications,” and only 18% (and only 20% of past users) were told that “their particular statin might interact with other medications.” Conclusion Provider‐patient communication regarding statin therapy appears inadequate, by patient recall, and efforts to improve it are warranted.