Patient activation, strongly related to care management, demonstrates great potential in enhancing care and cutting costs.
FREMONT, CA: Clinical care is a vital step in enabling an optimal state of health. While cutting edge technologies play a critical role in treating or managing diseases, at times, they are not able to produce the best possible results. Patients must be inspired to participate in their own care in order for health services to be effective. Patient activation is a key component of treatment. When patients manage their own health, they will attain overall wellness. Here is how healthcare providers can improve patient activation.
• Using Patient Activation Measure
The first step of patient activation improvement activity is to understand individual patient activation levels. Healthcare professionals usually use the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) that determines how involved patients are in their health. The measure uses patient-facing questions to cover different patient characteristics. This patient survey can be combined with EHR. After gathering patient responses for the PAM, care providers can make decisions about their patient engagement strategies to improve patient activation.
• Educating Patients
Patients cannot engage in self-health management activities if they are not familiar with their conditions, treatments, and other health vitals. So care providers must arm patients with key health information. Providers should also use clear language while educating patients. Besides, they should use assessments of patient activation to inform their strategies. A patient with better activation and health literacy can absorb complex information easily.
• Engaging in Shared Decision-Making
The practice of engaging patients in choosing a certain treatment method puts them at the center of their own care. By doing so, patients become more activated in care management and wellness goals. Shared decision-making also gives patients a stake in their treatment, which can ultimately improve care outcomes.
• Supporting Patient Outside the Office
Since patients spend much of their time outside the clinic, providers should keep communication open and ensure patients stay activated. Healthcare-related IT can play a vital role in this. The use of messages or other digital patient outreach tools allows providers and patients to communicate and mitigate health concerns. They also provide a personalized nudge to a patient who may be less active in care management.
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