4 Principles of Consumer-Centric Healthcare

The American College of Physicians has published guidelines for organizing consumer-centric healthcare and involving families in health care.

Involving patients at all stages of the health care industry and respecting their needs will help develop a culture of patient- and family-centric healthcare, according to guidelines published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The principles outlined in the guide put patients and their families in their rightful place – at the center of the health care system, and transform patient-caregiver relationships into partnerships.

According to the president of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Anna Maria Lopez, building patient-physician partnerships is critical to maintaining effective healthcare in a rapidly changing healthcare environment.

The principles proposed by the College are in line with the general trend of patient involvement and transformation of the doctor-patient interaction model.

In its work, the American College of Physicians defines patient- and family-centric health care:

The College believes that patients and their families play a key role in healthcare, both as partners in managing their own health and as advisors for improving health care.

Although the concept of consumer-centric medicine is widely accepted by medical professionals, the latter face barriers to the inclusion of patients and their families.

All the principles stated above, the College has combined into 4 foundations of consumer-centric healthcare:

1. Patients and their families need to be treated with respect

The panel noted that patients often judged the quality of services by how they were treated with respect and respect. The guideline states that patients find it respectful when medical staff treat them as individuals, pay special attention, listen to the patient and show empathy for the case.

In order to make the treatment more personalized, the Board recommends starting with the smallest details: the doctor can specify how the patient will be comfortable building the interaction process; use clear speech to discuss the client’s current situation; to enable the patient to see what the doctor is typing in his/рук electronic medical record within the medical information system.

2. Patients and families should become active partners of health care providers at all stages of the collaboration

To integrate the family into the patient’s health care process, healthcare providers can involve household members in treatment decisions, inform them of treatment goals, involve family members in scheduling and monitoring appointments for their family members, and make family members assistants in patient compliance with doctor’s prescriptions.

3. Medical organizations should encourage patients and their families to contribute to the development and improvement of the healthcare system

Involving patients and their families in health system improvement is an essential resource for meeting the needs of all those involved in the treatment process. Patients and their families may share their vision of the system that may not be fully addressed by healthcare professionals.

The College also encourages healthcare organizations to establish an advisory board of active patients and families to gather ideas from participants and incorporate them into their initiatives, and to strengthen physician-patient partnerships. In addition to advice, clinics can involve patients in the design of the hospital space, the analysis and improvement of training materials for medical personnel, and quality control procedures in various fields.

4. Patients and their families should be partners of clinics within the education of health care professionals

Historically, the education of health care professionals has focused more on diagnosing and treating disease rather than taking into account the preferences, values ​​and beliefs of patients and their families. To effectively develop future physicians in the paradigm of a patient-centric approach to healthcare, patients must be at the center of curriculum planning.