Being an engaged patient is a natural extension of my work in healthcare safety and quality, so when a friend was told he might need a coronary stent, I responded by searching for information and asking questions. I was glad to be able to help and to see my friend engaged in his care. In […]
Engaging in research is among many ways patients are improving the healthcare system and contributing to medical knowledge. Patients have always being involved in research as participants in clinical trials; now they are also helping to design, implement and evaluate research. PCORI—the Patient Controlled Outcomes Research Institute)—is one such program that includes patients as equal […]
To say “I had a few questions” after learning I had a brain tumor is an understatement. Born on the cusp between Generation X and the Millennials, my instinctual response as a patient—after posting a hospital selfie to Instagram, of course—is to Google every new medical term I encounter. For the most part, I find […]
For me, a yoga mat and foam roller count as professional tools. They also represent my personal commitment to patient engagement. I’ve worked as a writer and editor for a long time and, most days, spend hours sitting at the computer. That and other things I sometimes overdo—gardening, dancing, life in general—lead to aches and […]
When I said, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” I had no idea what I was I was in for. The friend I offered to help was on the cusp of a medical adventure neither he nor I could have imagined. In addition to being sicker than I realized, he […]
Consider this: A 2011 survey reported in Health Affairs of 800 recently hospitalized patients found that only 53 percent of them felt that their physicians were empathic and caring.1 In one study where doctor-patient encounters were videotaped, researchers found that doctors often overlooked or dismissed signs of distress communicated by patients, providing empathic responses only […]
There are so many good things happening in healthcare to advance patient and family engagement. Yet, when I boot up my computer and check my Twitter feed, I just shake my head wondering if people have missed the point. Perhaps, it’s inevitable with Twitter’s 140-character limitation. However, it sounds as though people think they’ve found […]
Cleveland Clinic wants its patients involved — fully involved. It starts with opening access to services, functions and information that previously had been hidden or hard to get to. Cleveland Clinic’s MyChart personal health record is at the heart of the initiative, which has been ongoing for more than a year. The system sees […]
Communication, communication, communication. And communication. That’s the core of the four steps hospitals and health systems can take to improve patient engagement, according to a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). “Many of the errors we see in health care stem from communication problems,” said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, […]
My Dad told me once that the most cared for he ever felt was sitting in the back seat of the family car during a long road trip. In the front seat, his dad — my grandfather — took complete care of getting my dad from one place to another in warmth, peace and safety. […]