Dr. Jeanne Palmer: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients?
Dr. Jeanne Palmer: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.
Why is it important to empower patients? Expert Dr. Jeanne Palmer from Mayo Clinic discusses how patient empowerment benefits patients, the importance of understanding a rare disease, and empowerment methods she finds especially helpful for her patients.
See More from Empowering Providers to Empower Patients (EPEP)
Related Resources:
|
Dr. Michael Kelley: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients? |
Dr. Nicole Rochester: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients? |
Transcript:
Dr. Jeanne M. Palmer:
So I think one of the most important things that I can provide is to make sure I provide good education so they have a good understanding of the pathophysiology of their disease, they have a good understanding of what they’re going to expect with regards to symptoms as well as what benefits they may or may not get from different therapies. It’s a very anxiety-provoking thing to have a rare disease that is generally something that we can’t always offer a cure for and something that they will have to live with for a very long period of time.
So I think understanding that and understanding what the expectations may be is really important. And I really can’t stress enough the importance of some of these patient advocacy groups that really help provide excellent education programs. I tell my patients to go to them whenever possible, just because then they don’t just have to hear me talking about something, they can hear multiple other people. Because sometimes just a difference in a nuance in the way you say something, it’ll all of a sudden click with the patient. And fully recognizing that as much as I try…sometimes I’m not able to convey that. When they hear it in a different way, it can really help.
Also encouraging second opinions. I always encourage patients. I say, “If you have any questions, get another opinion, I will help facilitate it,” to really make sure that they get the information that they need and they feel comfortable with their diagnosis and their plan of care. I think that goes a long way in helping alleviate some of their concerns, especially when you say, “Okay, well, why don’t you see this other person? They’re great. I know this person.” Then they know that, “Hey, we’re all on the same page. We’re all on the same team, working together to make sure that we can treat this patient as best as we can.”
