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Knowledge is power: How to increase patients' influence in medical decision-making?
As the medical system increasingly emphasizes the need for patient participation, the patient's influence in medical decision-making has gradually become the focus of important discussions. This trend stems from the challenge of past medical patriarchy. Patients no longer just play a passive role in receiving medical care, but actively participate in the decision-making process and shape their own healthy future. Patient engagement encompasses not only the process of informed consent, but also shared decision-making with medical professionals and a patient-centered care model.
Patient engagement requires experiences of transparency, personalization, respect, and choice that must be recognized in all matters related to health care, without exception.
According to new research, patient engagement has a significant positive impact on the healthcare system. First, it improves patient safety and accessibility and increases patient satisfaction. At the same time, this also prompts medical staff to demonstrate more empathy and communication skills. Effective patient participation not only requires patients to receive information that is easy to understand, but also requires professionals to have a positive attitude to encourage patient participation.
The patient's own knowledge is an effective supplement to medical expertise, which makes the medical decision-making process more comprehensive.
In Shared Decision-Making (SDM), patients' active participation will make the medical results more consistent with their expectations and needs. This process requires a buffer of time to allow medical staff to build trust and interaction with patients. Research shows that caregivers who serve as patient advocates can promote effective patient agency and ensure that patients’ individual needs and values are taken into account in decision-making.
However, the process of patient engagement is not without its challenges. Some researchers warn that there are different interpretations of representation of patient participation, spanning notions of democratic, statistical and symbolic representation. The true meaning of patient participation should not be just formal representation, but should focus more on the substantive intervention and influence of patients.
In the formation process of medical policies, patients are not only stakeholders, but also co-decision makers and consultants, which makes their voices gradually become a force that cannot be ignored.
The impact of patient engagement is not limited to a single decision-making process. In the formulation of health policy, patient participation covers the design, implementation and evaluation of public health programs and services. When patients participate in policy development as advisors, they are able to influence the direction of policy and promote more inclusive public health needs.
For example, many medical institutions now set up patient safety committees and quality improvement teams to encourage patients to participate as consultants in the evaluation and adjustment of medical services. In these working groups, patients can express their experiences and needs and make substantial contributions to the improvement of medical services.
With the advancement of technology, forms of patient participation are also constantly evolving. Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence are redefining the interaction between patients and the medical system.
Today, the development of medical technology, including the use of artificial intelligence, provides new opportunities for patient participation. Through technology, the provision of medical services can more accurately target the individual needs of patients and encourage patients to better participate in their own health management. For example, IBM's Watson health project aims to assist doctors in providing personalized diagnosis and treatment recommendations based on medical records, which allows patients to have more evidence and opportunities to participate in medical decisions.
However, the process of patient participation has also faced criticism. Experts pointed out that there are still many issues that need to be resolved, such as patients' willingness to participate, participation burden, and potential conflicts of financial interests. In addition, there is often a lack of adequate evaluation of the effectiveness of patient engagement, which prevents healthcare organizations from quantifying the effectiveness of patient engagement measures when implementing them.
Against this backdrop, health advocacy movements are emerging around the world. These campaigns not only work to promote patient voice in medical decision-making but also emphasize public participation in the policy-making process. Through active advocacy, patients can better understand the healthcare system and express their needs and expectations more effectively.
Patient participation is increasingly influential in the medical decision-making process. However, will improvements in how patients can more effectively play their role in medical decision-making continue to evolve over time?
