ACOG Recommends Partnering With Patients to Improve Safety
ACOG Recommends Partnering With Patients to Improve Safety
April 22, 2011 — The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends actively involving patients in the planning of health services to reduce risk and improve outcomes, according to the results of an ACOG Committee Opinion published in the May issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Two related Committee Opinions in the same issue discuss the impact of patient health literacy and cultural sensitivity issues on patient-physician communication.
"The foundation for a positive physician-patient interaction is formed by establishing a partnership and creating a meaningful dialogue," the Committee writes. "Accomplishing this in a brief office visit may be challenging, but with adequate planning these encounters can be structured in a positive way. Improving communication with patients, listening to their concerns, and facilitating active partnerships should be central to any patient safety strategy."
Physicians should encourage their patients to discuss the reasons for their visits so that they provide information needed to reach an accurate diagnosis or treatment plan. To engage their patients, physicians should actively listen and solicit their concerns and opinions by asking open-ended questions.
Health literacy is an important issue affecting patients' ability to make appropriate health decisions, and cultural barriers also can hinder physician-patient communication. Proven strategies to facilitate communication with patients include speaking slowly in plain language, limiting the amount of information provided and repeating it, using teach-back techniques, encouraging patients to ask questions, and providing written materials.
Informed consent should be documented and is closely related to shared medical decision making, in which the physician shares with the patient all relevant risk-and-benefit information on all treatment options, and the patient shares with the physician all relevant personal information that might affect the decision. Shared medical decision making can reduce risk and improve patient engagement and satisfaction, outcomes, and treatment adherence.
Because medication errors are the largest source of preventable adverse events, patients need to give their physicians a list of the prescription and nonprescription medications they take, including vitamins and herbal supplements. Whenever new prescriptions are given, clinicians should tell patients why the medication is being prescribed and give instructions for taking it.
Tracking strategies for monitoring and communicating test results may include logbooks or computer prompts so that patients are informed of every test result in a timely fashion.
"Patients should be given a reasonable time frame within which they should expect to be informed about their test results, and they should be encouraged to call if they have not heard from the office at the end of that period," the Committee writes. "Partnering with patients to improve communication results in increased patient satisfaction, increased diagnostic accuracy, enhanced adherence to therapeutic recommendations, and improved quality of care."
Obstet Gynecol. 2011;117:1247-1249. Extract
April 22, 2011 — The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends actively involving patients in the planning of health services to reduce risk and improve outcomes, according to the results of an ACOG Committee Opinion published in the May issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Two related Committee Opinions in the same issue discuss the impact of patient health literacy and cultural sensitivity issues on patient-physician communication.
"The foundation for a positive physician-patient interaction is formed by establishing a partnership and creating a meaningful dialogue," the Committee writes. "Accomplishing this in a brief office visit may be challenging, but with adequate planning these encounters can be structured in a positive way. Improving communication with patients, listening to their concerns, and facilitating active partnerships should be central to any patient safety strategy."
Physicians should encourage their patients to discuss the reasons for their visits so that they provide information needed to reach an accurate diagnosis or treatment plan. To engage their patients, physicians should actively listen and solicit their concerns and opinions by asking open-ended questions.
Health literacy is an important issue affecting patients' ability to make appropriate health decisions, and cultural barriers also can hinder physician-patient communication. Proven strategies to facilitate communication with patients include speaking slowly in plain language, limiting the amount of information provided and repeating it, using teach-back techniques, encouraging patients to ask questions, and providing written materials.
Informed consent should be documented and is closely related to shared medical decision making, in which the physician shares with the patient all relevant risk-and-benefit information on all treatment options, and the patient shares with the physician all relevant personal information that might affect the decision. Shared medical decision making can reduce risk and improve patient engagement and satisfaction, outcomes, and treatment adherence.
Because medication errors are the largest source of preventable adverse events, patients need to give their physicians a list of the prescription and nonprescription medications they take, including vitamins and herbal supplements. Whenever new prescriptions are given, clinicians should tell patients why the medication is being prescribed and give instructions for taking it.
Tracking strategies for monitoring and communicating test results may include logbooks or computer prompts so that patients are informed of every test result in a timely fashion.
"Patients should be given a reasonable time frame within which they should expect to be informed about their test results, and they should be encouraged to call if they have not heard from the office at the end of that period," the Committee writes. "Partnering with patients to improve communication results in increased patient satisfaction, increased diagnostic accuracy, enhanced adherence to therapeutic recommendations, and improved quality of care."
Obstet Gynecol. 2011;117:1247-1249. Extract
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