Huang JH, Elkhal C, Eliapo‐Unutoa I, et al. - Given the high prevalence of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and its significant consequences, researchers conducted an observational, cross‐sectional study to determine the association between patient perception of RHD, timeliness of patient penicillin prophylaxis and disease progression. The sample consisted of children with RHD aged 5 to 19 years, along with their parents, in American Samoa. A total of 70 surveys of child–parent dyads with a mean patient age of 14.28 years ± 2.71 were collected. There is a strong link between patient and parent awareness of RHD and timeliness of doses of penicillin prophylaxis. This research was the first to relate the perception of RHD by patients to involvement with preventive measures.