Tag Archive for: patient care

Dr. Yaw Nyame: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients?

Dr. Yaw Nyame: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Patient empowerment is a vital part of care, but how can healthcare providers help? Prostate cancer expert Dr. Yaw Nyame with the University of Washington shares his approach to patient care and connections that he provides to help ensure optimal patient outcomes.

See More from Empowering Providers to Empower Patients (EPEP)

Related Resources:

Dr. Silvina Pugliese: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients?

Dr. Danielle Brander: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients?

Dr. Danielle Brander: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients?

Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

Dr. Nyame, how do you empower your patients and their care partners? And why is that important? 

Dr. Yaw Nyame:

I think the best way to empower patients and their care partners is just by giving them the time. My clinic always runs late…I’m not sure that’s something I should brag about but it always runs late, and when I come into a room, I always say, “I’m sorry, I’m running late.” I usually explain if someone needed more time before then, and I always end that with, “I’m going to give you the same time that you need to answer all your questions and have your needs met as the last person, and so don’t worry about what the clock says about when your appointment was supposed to be. Let’s just cover what we need to cover.”

I also jot quite a bit of notes, a lot of families come in with notebooks and they’re writing everything down, and I try to actually have some notes that are individualized to my patient, their particular cancer and what are my recommendations down on a sheet of paper that I give to them. It’s almost like a deliverable for that visit, which I think oftentimes takes the burden of the patient feeling like they’re the one that has to collect all this information, and it’s almost like I’m going to be in charge of collecting this and giving it to you at the very end of our visit.

And then lastly, I’m really big on trying to connect folks to the resources that they need socially or clinically, and so everyone gets a list of vetted resources to read more or to go back to if they have questions, everyone gets connected to advocacy organizations that I do work with and trust, and then lastly everyone gets my contact info, sometimes a cell phone number, sometimes an email, something where they feel like they can get reconnected to me. That’s my approach, some people would say that’s too much, but I find that the more ways I can allow patients to feel like I’m accessible, that I’m at their level, that I’m not some super human, whatever, but I’m just like their neighbors or friends, the people that are in their community, the more empowered they are to ask for the things that they need and ultimately have a better clinical experience and outcomes.

Benefits And Barriers Of A Family-Centered Approach To Holistic Patient Care

Family caregivers spend an average of 24.4 hours per week to take care of their sick relative.  In the past, family caregivers usually remain invisible using healthcare encounters and are usually not identified as a unit of support in the health records of patients.  However, in recent years, studies in the United States showed that the implementation of family-centered approach is beneficial for persons with serious illnesses as well as the caregivers, specifically in pediatric and geriatric patients. Here is an overview of its core concepts, benefits, and barriers.

Core Concepts of  Patient And Family-Centered Care

The family framework is a simple, low technology approach in providing holistic patient care. According to the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care, there are four core concepts of patient- and family-centered care.  The first core concept is dignity and respect, which means that health care professionals must listen and respect the decisions of the patient and the family.  The second core concept is information sharing meaning that patients and  families should be given complete and accurate data so that they can make informed decisions.  The third core concept is participation. The patients and families are empowered through ensuring they participate in the decision-making process. The last core concept of collaboration highlights the need for all individuals (patients, families, and health care professionals) to work together for the betterment of the patient.

Benefits Of Family Approach

The major benefit of this approach is the shift of the control and power of patient care from the individuals who deliver it to the ones who receive it. This approach recognizes the autonomy of patients, which is a major concept in bioethics and rehabilitation.  The importance of families in promoting health and well-being of every member is also emphasized. In previous years, family-based treatment modalities such as meditation or mindfulness have been shown to have benefits for the whole family.  For instance, it has been demonstrated that such approaches are effective in addressing eating disorders and depression among children.

By listening to the patients and families about their experiences and hearing what’s important to them, healthcare professionals can improve their delivery of care. In a study, researchers found that parents’ satisfaction increased as much as 70% after the implementation of family-centered care. These professionals also learn how care systems work and not just how they are supposed to work. As such, this approach is mutually beneficial to both health care professionals and patients as both of their needs are fulfilled.

Barriers To A Family Approach

Since 1993, family-centered approach has been a priority for hospitals, states the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.  Nevertheless, there are numerous barriers to its successful implementation. For example, the different meanings of family-centered care in the discipline causes confusion to how it should be practiced. Moreover, the roles and boundaries of the health professionals and the family remain unclear.

Most importantly, the attitudes, values, and perspectives of healthcare professionals also affect the use of family approach in hospital settings. One of the things that influence their attitudes is their lack of knowledge of how to implement it.  Some professionals also mentioned that they do not support this approach because the outcomes are difficult to measure.

The main objective of family-centered approach is to respect the patient’s decision about his or her care and to emphasize the role of the family in the treatment.  While there are advantages to the approach, there are still barriers on how it can be implemented in reality. Further research is warranted to determine its effectiveness and to help hospitals transition to a patient- and family-centered approach.

Benefits And Barriers Of A Family-Centered Approach To Holistic Patient Care

Family caregivers spend an average of 24.4 hours per week to take care of their sick relative.  In the past, family caregivers usually remain invisible using healthcare encounters and are usually not identified as a unit of support in the health records of patients.  However, in recent years, studies in the United States showed that the implementation of family-centered approach is beneficial for persons with serious illnesses as well as the caregivers, specifically in pediatric and geriatric patients. Here is an overview of its core concepts, benefits, and barriers.

Core Concepts of  Patient And Family-Centered Care

The family framework is a simple, low technology approach in providing holistic patient care. According to the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care, there are four core concepts of patient- and family-centered care.  The first core concept is dignity and respect, which means that health care professionals must listen and respect the decisions of the patient and the family.  The second core concept is information sharing meaning that patients and  families should be given complete and accurate data so that they can make informed decisions.  The third core concept is participation. The patients and families are empowered through ensuring they participate in the decision-making process. The last core concept of collaboration highlights the need for all individuals (patients, families, and health care professionals) to work together for the betterment of the patient.

Benefits Of Family Approach

The major benefit of this approach is the shift of the control and power of patient care from the individuals who deliver it to the ones who receive it. This approach recognizes the autonomy of patients, which is a major concept in bioethics and rehabilitation.  The importance of families in promoting health and well-being of every member is also emphasized. In previous years, family-based treatment modalities such as meditation or mindfulness have been shown to have benefits for the whole family.  For instance, it has been demonstrated that such approaches are effective in addressing eating disorders and depression among children.

By listening to the patients and families about their experiences and hearing what’s important to them, healthcare professionals can improve their delivery of care. In a study, researchers found that parents’ satisfaction increased as much as 70% after the implementation of family-centered care. These professionals also learn how care systems work and not just how they are supposed to work. As such, this approach is mutually beneficial to both health care professionals and patients as both of their needs are fulfilled.

Barriers To A Family Approach

Since 1993, family-centered approach has been a priority for hospitals, states the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.  Nevertheless, there are numerous barriers to its successful implementation. For example, the different meanings of family-centered care in the discipline causes confusion to how it should be practiced. Moreover, the roles and boundaries of the health professionals and the family remain unclear.

Most importantly, the attitudes, values, and perspectives of healthcare professionals also affect the use of family approach in hospital settings. One of the things that influence their attitudes is their lack of knowledge of how to implement it.  Some professionals also mentioned that they do not support this approach because the outcomes are difficult to measure.

The main objective of family-centered approach is to respect the patient’s decision about his or her care and to emphasize the role of the family in the treatment.  While there are advantages to the approach, there are still barriers on how it can be implemented in reality. Further research is warranted to determine its effectiveness and to help hospitals transition to a patient- and family-centered approach.