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The Myth Of Patient-Centered Care

I can’t think of any strategic initiative in recent time with more potential to engage and active patients, improve patient health outcomes and enhance patient experiences than the call by the Institute of Medicine in Crossing the Quality Chasmfor providers to become more patient-centered.  Specifically, more patient-centered in the way they communicate with patients.

Having spent years working in the field, I am continually amazed at the rich body of evidence documenting the wide range of strategic benefits of engaging patients in conversations about their health goals, beliefs, motivations and expectations.   I am also amazed at how slow health plans, hospitals systems and the like have been to leverage the benefits of patient-centered communications within their provider networks.

A 2011 article in BMJ’s journal Quality and Safety highlight the present state of affairs with respect to patient-centered communications in the U.S.

The study looked at how often physicians employed the most essential and defining patient-centered communication skill – asking patients about what they expected from their health encounter.   In the case of the study, asking patients what they expected from a required hospital stay…although the finding could just as easily come from a study of physician office visits.
Why Is Understanding The Patient’s Expectations Important?
The basic premise of patient-centered care is that, where practicable, the clinician should honor the patient’s beliefs, motivations fears and expectations in the course of treating them. Obviously before you can “honor” the patient’s “perspective” you first need to understand what they are. The clinician needs to ask the patient.

And there’s the rub.

 

Turns out that only 16% of physicians in the study (residents and attending physicians) admitted to routinely asking their patients about their health care-related expectations. …

Read on!

See on mindthegap.smarthealthmessaging.com