What patients really want--and why it’s important for their health

Getting patients to make healthy lifestyle choices ranks high on every physician’s professional wish list. But realistically accomplishing this goal, especially in a fast-paced health care setting, requires care teams to zero in on what really matters to patients. Thomas Lee, MD (pictured right), explained at TEDMED 2015 that the best place for physicians to start is building a shared sense of trust and empathy with their patients. Here’s why Dr. Lee says a clear understanding of “patient suffering” can help improve care delivery and unlock the key to successful relationships. Meeting patient needs in a complex health system As the chief medical officer for Press Ganey, a health company that consults more than 20,000 health care organizations on strategies to improve patient care, Dr. Lee understands the strenuous juggling act physicians must perform to manage high patient demands, deliver quality care and meet expectations for patient satisfaction in fast-paced health settings. Increased pressures in practice can lead to missed opportunities for coordinating care, shaky handoffs or forgotten follow up with patients about questions they asked. These missteps attest to “the superficial chaos that’s arrived in health care as a result of advancements in medicine,” Dr. Lee said. This same chaos often infiltrates daily interactions between physicians, patients and care teams, and erodes patients’ trust in the health care system, Dr. Lee said.  To counte...
Source: AMA Wire - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Source Type: news