Aïcha Diallo: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients?
Why is it important to empower patients? Aïcha Diallo, MPH, CHES discusses her approach to patient empowerment, the benefits of engaging patients, and the importance of including care partners in informative conversations.
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Transcript:
Aïcha Diallo:
I empower patients by first defining empowerment and shared decision-making to them and their care partners. And I do this because when patients first hear the word cancer, nothing else makes sense, and they start feeling overwhelmed and even lost. So it’s very important to provide them information that is digestible and easy to comprehend, and making sure that they understand what it means to be empowered and having a seat at the table to effectively communicate with their healthcare teams so they get the equitable care they need.
It is essential for them to know that they are at the center of their care. They are the most important voice, they’re the leader and the CEO of their own care and their healthcare team. So for them to know that and to cherish that is very, very important. And I also want patients to know that the healthcare professionals are the experts at what they do, but they, the patients, are the experts at what they need, what they want, and who they are as unique individuals. So it’s important for them to remember that.
For me, empowering patients is also encouraging them to value this important role, and opening the door to engaging in shared decision-making by feeling comfortable to speak up about their care and being equipped to ask their healthcare professionals the right questions, share their goals and their concerns, because those matter as well. And being empowered is also involving their care partners in their decision-making process. You’ll hear me talk about care partners a lot alongside patients, because we want to celebrate them and emphasize that they are an important part of their loved one’s care, and often make the decisions with them or for them. So we always want to include them in the informative conversations to help make the best treatment decisions for patients living with cancer.
