Patient Education and Engagement -- Key Elements in Quality Health Care

Patient Education and Engagement - Key Elements in Quality Health Care

Educating patients to take a proactive role in their care promotes better treatment outcomes and lowers costs of care.

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Providing effective patient education is an important element in quality health care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued patient engagement reporting requirements under meaningful use as well as the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Identifying and providing patient-specific education resources is one of the objectives of Stage 2 of the EHR incentive program. So in spite of their busy schedule, physicians and importantly, nurses, need to find time to educate patients and improve patient engagement. Medical transcription services are a big support when it comes to finding that time to spend with patients.

Educating patients promotes better treatment outcomes and lowers costs of care.

The Urgent Care Association (UCA) cited the example of a study from Ohio which found that one to two physical therapy sessions before a total hip or knee replacement reduced the need for postoperative care by 29%after reviewing 4,733 Medicare cases. The actual reason for the improvement was because the sessions helped the patients understand the procedure and recovery process before surgery, reducing stress and anxiety.

Tips to Improve Patient Education and Engagement To be able take a proactive role in their own health care, patients need to understand their health status and work with their healthcare providers to mitigate and manage their condition, and prevent potential complications. Patients need to understand health care information and what to do with that information. For this, patient education needs to be comprehensive and easy to understand, according to a Nurse Journal report. The following strategies can improve patient education and engagement: •

Build a plan around patient education: Health care facilities need to first develop a patient education plan, that is, who will be involved, their roles in educating patients, how patient education will be delivered, benchmarking, and monitoring progress. It will be easier to train staff with a written plan.

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Begin discharge planning at admission: A proactive approach would be to start planning for discharge at admission. The aim of discharge planning is to create a patient-focused and patient-involved process that encourages patients and their family to actively participate in post-acute discharge decisions. In fact, providers should educate patients properly throughout their hospitalization so that they are well prepared to manage their care and avoid readmission for the same problem.

Both written and verbal communication is essential for a successful discharge.

•

Consider the patient’s comprehension abilities: When imparting education, it’s important to consider if the patient’s mental, physical and emotional impairments

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will the ability to learn. For example, patients with hearing impairments may need visual materials and hands on training in place of verbal instruction. A best practice is to have patients repeat or explain the instructions given to them.

Patients with a critical diagnosis may need extra attention.

•

Effectively engage patients and family members: Patients and their families need to be fully informed about short-term and long-term care for chronic conditions.

Providers can make use of various platforms to reach these groups such as a patient portal, mobile applications, support groups, and of course, clinical points of care. Patients should be able to ask questions and process

the

information given to them. Good communication would be honest and open, tailored to suit the patient’s literacy level, and conducted in their preferred language.

•

Build opportunities to reinforce education: Patient education programs should also involve follow-up at the point of care as well as through other regular routes such as portals and mobile apps.

Reinforcement is necessary because patients may

forget instructions or stop making the extra effort needed to adhere to them.

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Involve family members: Including family members in patient education efforts will improve the chances of instructions being followed. Families play an important role in health care management, especially in the case of patients who have impairments that restrict their ability to learn.

Other patient engagement strategies:

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Find out what the patient already knows and correct any misinformation.

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Restate and build upon the teaching with every opportunity throughout the hospitalization.

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Make sure the patient understands their medications administered including the actions and side effects and how and when to refill medications.

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Educate patients about the signs and symptoms and about the importance of reporting these to their physician in a timely manner to avoid a crisis.

With increasing financial responsibility for their health care, today’s patients are becoming more engaged in managing their health. Innovations in healthcare information technology (HIT) are making patient education and engagement easier. A report from Cerner highlighted the role of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR ®) that offer healthcare providers new EHR-integrated technology to provide patient education at the point of care. FHIR capabilities include:

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•

Delivering relevant, pinpointed content to meet a patient’s immediate needs

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Easing the process of prescribing education

•

Using engaging, interactive information to provide patients with a

better

understanding of their health care issues •

Providing high-quality digital and print content to improve patients’ active engagement in managing their health

Patients are more likely to follow their doctor’s instructions if they feel that their physician spends more time with them to listen, understand and show that they care.

However, schedules have become shorter as physicians struggle EHR documentation tasks and with reimbursement concerns. Partnering with a reliable medical transcription company is an ideal option for physicians to manage their documentation and find more time for patient care, including patient education and engagement.

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918-221-7809