Abstract

Atrial fibrillation and aortic stenosis commonly present doctors and patients with difficult decisions about the risks and benefits of treatment options and are both often inappropriately undertreated. Patients may be confused by risk information and doctors may be aware of patients' limitations and use this to manipulate choices to the ones desired by the doctors. This paper examines the importance of risk communication and discusses difficulties that can arise in decision making in these two common cardiovascular conditions.