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This article details patient engagement, how to attain it, and how it will become the future success story of the healthcare system.
Fremont, CA: If we truly want an effective and efficient healthcare system in America, we should prioritize patient engagement, in which clinicians communicate effectively with patients and patients participate in making decisions and treating their ailments. This requires clinicians to get to know their patients, communicate with them honestly, and educate them about their health conditions. Patients must also try to understand their diseases, educate themselves on how to live a healthy lifestyle and make the appropriate lifestyle modifications.
An engaged patient can only be achieved with an involved physician who gives the patient the confidence to overcome the "white coat syndrome," in which a practitioner makes pronouncements with little to no input from the patient. An engaged physician takes the time needed with patients to adequately explain their condition—what is known and unknown about it, what the provider recommends, and what the patient may do to help. An engaged physician also allows and motivates patients to share responsibility for making healthcare decisions and allows patients' needs to dictate care priorities and resource allocation.
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Authentic patient engagement is uncommon now, but it has the potential to become the norm if we continue along a specific route. Some of the models in that route include:
Commit to Collaborative Decision-Making:
Shared decision-making equalizes the patient and the practitioner, who collaborates with the patient to make decisions about diagnostics and treatment alternatives. This does not imply that the patient and clinician are equally knowledgeable about medical issues, but instead that the provider communicates options to the patient so that the patient understands and makes logical decisions based on this advice.
Maintain Involvement Throughout Aftercare:
Aftercare is an essential element of every patient's treatment plan. Still, it's common for patients to misinterpret or disregard aftercare instructions, especially when they're detailed or necessitate challenging lifestyle changes. This difficulty can be mitigated by using technology to automatically notify patients about prescribed activities during aftercare.
Address Challenges Created by Social Determinants of Health:
Patients are more likely to participate if clinicians' instructions take into account social determinants of health. This necessitates meeting the patient where they are and comprehending their specific circumstance regarding treatment options. This can include linking patients with food and cheap housing options.
Educate Patients:
More than simply informing patients of their alternatives is required: Patients must be informed so that they genuinely comprehend. This can include providing patients access to medical records, exchanging appointment notes, and correcting misconceptions. Technology, especially patient portals, and telehealth, may assist in this regard, but it also implies having employees devoted to keeping patients informed.
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