Empowering Patients to Participate in Health Care Decisions

Author(s):  
Author(s):  
Amy Hasselkus

The need for improved communication about health-related topics is evident in statistics about the health literacy of adults living in the United States. The negative impact of poor health communication is huge, resulting in poor health outcomes, health disparities, and high health care costs. The importance of good health communication is relevant to all patient populations, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Efforts are underway at all levels, from individual professionals to the federal government, to improve the information patients receive so that they can make appropriate health care decisions. This article describes these efforts and discusses how speech-language pathologists and audiologists may be impacted.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 658-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Sénécal ◽  
Kristof Thys ◽  
Danya F Vears ◽  
Kristof Van Assche ◽  
Bartha M Knoppers ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-309
Author(s):  
Sandra Joan Campbell-Crofts ◽  
Janet Roden

Objectives This qualitative descriptive study explored the primary health care decisions of a group of 12 Australians in Stages 3B to 5 with chronic kidney disease in the preservation of kidney health. Methods Questioning within the qualitative interviews focused on gaining an understanding of the participants’ perceptions of their kidney health and the decisions made as a consequence of their interaction within the Australian primary health care system. Results Participants were dependent on their General Practitioner to recognise their symptoms, make the correct diagnosis and authorise the correct referral for specialist nephrology care. Three pathways in this process were identified: ‘easy’; ‘difficult’ and ‘protracted’. Clinician failure to correctly attribute symptoms to chronic kidney disease influenced the ‘difficult’ pathway, while failure to adequately communicate kidney health status influenced the ‘protracted’ pathway. Use of the language of ‘recovery’, ‘stability’ and ‘protection’ held meaning to the participants in gaining an understanding of their kidney health. Discussion Identifying pathways to diagnosis and referral can raise awareness of the challenges kidney health consumers face in their participation within the primary health care arena. Using consumer meaningful language improves the capacity of these consumers to engage in their own primary health care agenda.


CHEST Journal ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 138 (4) ◽  
pp. 1021-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Y. Rady ◽  
Joseph L. Verheijde

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-4
Author(s):  
Alex Fleming ◽  

The overall quality of life in palliative and hospice care facilities differs greatly from that in intensive care units. For example, the use of mechanical ventilation and powerful anesthetics and sedatives in the ICU can often leave otherwise informed patients incapacitated and unable to make their own health care decisions. Thus, discussions between patients and families about treatment options can be difficult, and families and surrogates are often left to do this on their own Treatments performed in the ICU are likely to be disproportionate to their needs, adding to suffering and distrust on the part of family members. To avoid this, it is important for health care providers to assess patients early and often and to discuss the proportionality of different treatments with their families and surrogates. Additionally, providers should encourage palliative and hospice care as alternatives to the many costly and likely disproportionate interventions taken in the ICU.


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