Overcoming Patient Barriers During Doctor Visits

by Holly Shoemaker

I previously discussed simple ways doctors may enhance patient awareness by choosing the most appropriate method of communication. Along with that, are important considerations and barriers that may affect how patients communicate and take in information.

Barriers that Affect Patients

• Bedside Manner – How a doctor projects him or herself affects how patients communicate. Just like a physician needs to take into consideration how patients learn, patients need to understand how a doctor communications and listens.
• Fear of Speaking Out – If patients become insecure or their personalities clash with a doctor's bedside manner, they speak less. Patients may feel they lack the ability to challenge what a doctor says. Because a doctor may be viewed as an authority figure, patients may become timid. Some patients may fear lack of follow-up care if they challenge what a doctor says.
• Multiple Providers – Patients who see multiple provides have different levels of trust with physicians. With those different levels of trust, comes varying degrees of openness. Patients may confuse how they communicates with one doctor, especially those who see multiple ones.
• Insecurity – There are many reasons patients may not open up to a doctor, and insecurity may stem from many of them. If patients perceive a doctor is not listening, or a patient does not understand the information communicated, they will not ask follow-up questions. Patients then take on less of a role in their own care. Anytime a patient perceives negative treatment from a medical professional, it affects treatment.

Information Changes Medical Care

Because the internet, apps and other technologies provide so much information, patients have more material available to them to research concerns and conditions. Armed with research, patients may be more willing to become involved in making decisions about their own care. However, too much information may cause an unwillingness to listen to what a doctor says. 

Concluding Thoughts

A willingness to listen and demonstrate patience on both sides will help patient awareness. When patients take steps to ensure they have knowledge and understand how barriers affect them, they then become the catalysts needed to change doctor-patient relationships.

Simple Communication Steps to Enhance Patient Awareness

by Holly Shoemaker

While healthcare changes are on the horizon, doctors and medical professionals still face challenges regarding the best ways to keep patients informed. Before deciding on the tool used to communicate information, physicians and medical professionals need to ensure they choose the most appropriate way of communicating with patients.

Simple Steps to Follow

• Make Information Available in Many Ways – Simply put, people learn in different ways. Some are auditory learners, others learn by reading, some are kinesthetic learners and others need a variety of approaches. Doctors should consider these methods when communicating with patients and understand how patients best process information. Verbally mentioning information is not always enough to truly communicate. Providing information in a written form, or along with a visual, reinforces points and helps patient remember information related to their own care or conditions of family members and friends.
• Jargon – While patients need access to healthcare information in multiple forms, verbal communication will remain a primary way to communicate with a doctor. Many medical terms may be out the realm of a lay person’s vocabulary. Doctors should ensure they tailor their speech and communicate in terms that reach all patients.
• A Word Is Not Always Enough – Do not always assume that a patient may take a medical professional at his/her word. Use of current research will reinforce suggestions and may serve as a way to open up further dialog, or make a patient feel they may ask questions to better process information.

Concluding Thoughts

By first ascertaining the ways patients take in information, doctors and medical professionals may then decide on the proper channels of communication. The technology itself only becomes effective after the medical community first learns how patients take in information to stay informed.

Healthcare App Challenge Focuses on Patient Safety

by Holly Shoemaker

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information, part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, recently announced a new app challenge that focuses on patient safety and reporting.

                                               

The challenge came about from a 2011 report that asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to evaluate health and safety privacy concerns. The IOM concluded that accurate reporting of data depends on a number of factors such as the users, doctors, vendors and any other entity involved in reporting. The IOM recommended increased monitoring of IT health products and clearer reporting guidelines.

Concluding Thoughts

Reporting and privacy concerns continue to remain an issue as hospitals and doctors' offices transition from paper-based records to electronic ones. No standard format or platform exits to report patient information.

As I have mentioned before, app challenges offer ways for developers to get their ideas known. However, when it comes to medical apps, a more stringent development and testing process is typically needed, especially when dealing with privacy concerns. While the contest addresses a need, the reward may not be worth the cost to develop, test and market. Therefore, the developer who wins the contest will likely have a long lifecyle before the app goes live.

Johns Hopkins Likely to Set Benchmarks for Medical Mobile Apps

by Holly Shoemaker

Johns Hopkins University has announced that as part of its Global mHealth Initiative it has started researching and analyzing current medical mobile apps. This is an impressive undertaking as Research2Guidance, a market research firm, estimated that there are over 40,000 mobile health apps on the market.

Research Overview

Johns Hopkins will conduct 49 studies. Its goals are to evaluate current health app offerings, and examine what strategies work best to assist doctors, medical professionals and consumers. The Global mHealth Initiative will compare how well the apps work against traditional methods such as clinic visits.

Alan Labrique, director of the Johns Hopkins Global Health Initiative, acknowledged that case studies only go so far. He said people need to have the willingness to use technology and follow advice for an app to work. In the end, patients will need to embrace technology so they better understand how to monitor and change behaviors that affect health.

Concluding Thoughts

While many apps come with disclaimers, doctors and patients will feel more secure by using apps recommended from a reputable university like Johns Hopkins. Its research will add to the legitimacy of medical mobile apps and likely help standardize best practices for developers.

Upcoming Legislation Shows We Should Rethink Telemedicine

By Holly Shoemaker

I have discussed in previous blogs how physicians and medical professionals will rely more on smartphones, tablets and medical mobile apps in the coming years. Many say the smartphone industry and tablets have served as catalysts in driving healthcare reform. In reality, the latest technologies could be categorized as an extension of telemedicine. Doctors and medical professionals have used web tools and video conferencing to deliver patient care and converse with specialists for years.

Upcoming Medicine Bill Should Promote Mobile E-Health Solutions

Sen. Tom Udall (D – New Mexico) is expected to introduce a bill that would grant physicians an easier way to practice medicine in multiple states. While the bill has not gone beyond the draft stage, it has the potential to assist doctors in improving patient care. The bill would also create standardized data for physician information like background checks, hospital privileges and patients’ claim histories.

Current Concerns

The biggest issue deals with incentives. Those who do not support the bill have said they need “medical buy in." They say they would lose money because of the licensing fees now generated to practice medicine in multiple states.

The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) does not support the initial draft because of state licensing issues. Udall has stated the new draft will address those concerns by offering incentives to states that allow physicians to practice in multiple ones.

Concluding Thoughts

One of the biggest benefits will come to those in rural areas. By allowing physicians the ability to practice in multiple states, and granting specialists reciprocity to consult on cases, those who live far from hospitals and specialists, could receive needed care in their homes.

Easing state regulations and licensing fees also has the potential to allow medical professionals to feel more secure about sharing information via tablets and smartphones. In general, the public should start thinking about how medical mobile apps, smartphones and tablets promote telemedicine.

Do Smartphones and Medical Mobile Apps Cause Breach of Duty Violations?

by Holly Shoemaker

I came across an article published in the New York Times regarding how smartphones and mobile apps could become distracting to doctors. With studies showing more medical professionals will rely on smartphones and mobile apps this year, this point warrants more discussion. In particular, I wonder if apps and devices will cause physicians to violate their “breach of duty.”

Article Findings

Doctors and nurses admitted to spending more time looking at a screen rather than interacting with patients. A neurosurgeon admitted to making a personal call while operating on a patient. Half of the technicians surveyed said that while running bypass machines, they texted during the procedures.

Doctors Held to Higher Standards

I am not surprised by the findings. Distractions are not just an issue for doctors. If someone conducted the same type of study in a business setting, I think we would find more people admitting to using devices for non-work matters. At the same time, most of us do not have someone’s life in our hands.

Monitoring Patient Satisfaction

Some insurers use devices like iPads to assess patient satisfaction before patients take the step of suing physicians. Using mobile devices incorrectly could lead to an increase in lawsuits. I will elaborate on this point in an upcoming blog. Logically, if medical staff fail to provide patients the care owed to them, and patients have the ability to prove that, then devices could lead to careless mistakes.

Concluding Thoughts

The issue of distractions comes down to “breach of duty.” If a physician admits to making a personal call during surgery, a breach is made – the doctor has not upheld his/her duty to provide the best care to the patient. While no one has the ability to control everyone’s behavior, hospitals may provide clear guidelines regarding what could happen if staff members use tablets, medical mobile apps or smartphones in inappropriate ways.