20 Aug Patient-centered care is rooted in a strong relationship between healthcare providers and patients
FIRST POST
Introduction
Patient-centered care is rooted in a strong relationship between healthcare providers and patients. It helps providers and patients know one another, understand one another and find the best course of treatment and diagnosis. It empowers patients; instead of making decisions, patients become part of the decision-making process. According to Melynk and Fineout-Overholt (2018), patient-centeredness is a key component to incorporate patient preferences into practice and values decision-making supported by evidence-based research. Patients’ decisions help patients become involved in decision-making by providing information about different options and outcomes and get a chance to reflect their personal values (The Ottawa Hospital, 2020). It also helps reduce the cost of emergency visits, improve patient outcomes, and better manage chronic diseases.
Personal experience
I used to work as a nurse in a developing country setting before I moved to the United States. Tuberculosis is highly prevalent in most developing countries. One of the challenges of treating patients with pulmonary tuberculosis is compliance with treatment. The World Health Organization had designed a treatment strategy that provided healthcare providers an option to conduct an inclusive patient discussion on treatment plans. We provided Patients with two options to keep up with compliance. The first option was to continue taking prescriptions home, and the second option was to come to the nearby health clinic to take a directly observed treatment. Healthcare providers encouraged the second option, and patients preferred and became convinced to adhere to the second option. The strategy has brought significant changes in compliance and cure rate (personal experience).
Conclusion
Patient-centered care is a model of care that respects the patient’s experience, values, needs, and preferences in the planning, coordination, and delivery of care (Gluyas,2015). It creates a strong therapeutic relationship between patients and healthcare providers and improves treatment outcomes.
References
Gluyas H. (2015). Patient-centered care: improving healthcare outcomes. Nursing standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987), 30(4), 50–59. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.30.4.50.e10186
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2018). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. (2020). A to Z summary results – Patient Decision Aids: Ottawa Decision Support Framework (ODSF). Retrieved February 7, 2022, from https://decisionaid.ohri.ca/AZsumm.php?ID=1960
SECOND POST
Experience
During the time I worked as a dialysis nurse, one of the main things I learned is the importance of incorporating the patient and their family into their treatment plan and plan of care. When a patient requires dialysis treatment, they have a couple different options. Patients can choose either in-center dialysis or home dialysis. It is vital that patients are included in their planning and determining which option is best for them. The patients and their closest family initially attend an educational session. They are presented with options that are fully explained to them. They also go through a lengthy interview process to see which type of dialysis is recommended for them. Recommendations are made. However, it is ultimately up to the patient and their family to make the decisions regarding their plan of care. The patient’s outcome is directly related to how compliant the patient is with their dialysis plan of care. Dialysis patients who actively participate in their care are more likely to be compliant and have better outcomes (Kvæl et al., 2018).
Impact of Including Patients in their Plan of Care
Including patients in their plan of care is vital and can have a lasting impact on the patient’s health. When a plan of care is set up, there are expectations for both the provider and patient put into place. This allows patients to gain a better understanding of their personal requirements(Ringdal et al., 2017). It allows them to comprehend their goals and steps needed to accomplish those goals. Including a patient’s preferences and values into their care plan builds a trusting relationship with the provider and patient. Patient inclusion also improves patient empowerment and satisfaction. In dialysis, patients tend to follow the diet plans and treatment regimens better since they assist in creating the plans and have a better understanding of them.
Patient Decision Aid
Patient decisions aids are very helpful in creating plans of care for patients and including patients in creating these plans. There are a wide variety of aids. The aid that I have chosen to explore is patient booklets. Booklets are very helpful for patients in a variety of situations. It is best to use these aids as more of a resource and educational reinforcement rather than primary source of information(Muscat et al., 2021). Booklets include lots of valuable information that patients can look at and review at their own leisure. It is important to have this written information provided, because many patients may not retain the vast amount of information that is provided to them after an initial meeting. A specific booklet that I looked at regarding dialysis is the dialysis decision booklet. This booklet provides a lot of valuable information regarding different types of dialysis methods, how dialysis is performed, requirements for dialysis, and pros/cons of the variety of methods.
References
Kvæl, L. A. H., Debesay, J., Langaas, A., Bye, A., & Bergland, A. (2018). A concept analysis of patient participation in intermediate care. Patient Education and Counseling, 101(8), 1337-1350.
Muscat, D. M., Smith, J., Mac, O., Cadet, T., Giguere, A., Housten, A. J., … & McCaffery, K. (2021). Addressing health literacy in patient decision aids: an update from the International Patient Decision Aid Standards. Medical Decision Making, 41(7), 848-869.
Ringdal, M., Chaboyer, W., Ulin, K., Bucknall, T., & Oxelmark, L. (2017). Patient preferences for participation in patient care and safety activities in hospitals. BMC nursing, 16(1), 1-8.
