Heather Johnson, MD: How to Combat Misconceptions of Statin Drugs in Your Patients

At the annual Family Heart Global Summit in Dallas, Texas, HCPLive sat down with Heather Johnson, MD, a preventative cardiologist at Lynn Women’s Health and Wellness Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital/ Baptist Health South Florida, to discuss misinformation about statin and cholesterol management. Johnson presented on this topic during her session, “Combatting Statin & Cholesterol Misinformation to Improve Patient Care,” on September 23, 2024.

In the interview, she shared how many patients enter her preventive cardiology office concerned about what they heard or read about statins and will often tell her, “I don’t want to take a statin.” When she hears this, Johnson asks what information they have heard about statin or what risks are concerning them.

“The interesting thing is that many patients may not be aware of options,” Johnson said. “They may not be aware that we have statin and also non-statin cholesterol medications.”

Johnson has noticed patients are more open to medication options when she explains the reason why a cholesterol medication is recommended—and focuses only on how the medication can reduce the risk of a heart attack or any other atherosclerotic event.

“We do have to engage in shared decision-making,” Johnson said. “We have to ask them their concerns and also discuss their goals and…our goals.”

Johnson explained how social media perpetuates the spread of misinformation related to statins and cholesterol management. This may negatively influence patients’ perceptions and adherence to treatment. Johnson emphasized the importance of providing patients with reliable, accessible resources to counteract this misinformation and improve understanding.

“We are very committed to make sure that patients have the right resources to improve their education…listen to their concerns [about what] they read on social media… [and] being able to have appropriate educational resources they can understand to help how cholesterol medication fits in their healthcare,” Johnson said.

Relevant disclosures for Johnson include Medtronic, Inc, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Amgen, Inc, Boston Scientific Corporation, Esperion Therapeutics, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Exact Sciences Corporation.