Improving Doctor–Patient Communication: Examining Innovative Modalities Vis-à-vis Effective Patient-Centric Care Management Technology

Abstract

This analysis investigates what patients and practitioners can do to improve their interactive communications to achieve optimal patient-centric (PC) care. One goal of this clinical practice approach is to improve patient satisfaction, compliance, and outcomes. The mutual responsibilities required of both the patients and practitioners to attain PC care are discussed. Innovative, information technology techniques in the healthcare environment in general and in care delivery in particular are explored. Practitioner-to-patient encouragement vis-a-vis self education on their conditions is also provided.

Patient Centered Care - A Conceptual Model and Review of the State of the Art

“…Access can be increased through group visits, office appointments with non-physician providers, telephone appointments, and online communication [48,72]. Group visits improve efficiency and encourage and elicit greater adherence and satisfaction, improved health outcomes and fewer hospitalizations [39,42,51,60,61,64,72,73]. If implemented when physical examination is needless, telephone appointments can decrease the frequency of office visits and costs while maintaining patient satisfaction and outcomes [48].…”

“…In addition to Denmark, the Veteran Affairs has also begun implementing patient-centered care components into their system using a telephone service to inquire into the patient's status and compliance [54,131]. As policy makers move toward patient-centered care approach to enhance quality of care, healthcare institutions should be prepared to integrate their care activities in and around patient focused approached activities by adopting appropriate information technology, enhancing communications and providing decision aid tools [72,84,128,[132][133][134][135][136][137].…”

Developing a Web 2.0 Diabetes Care Support System with Evaluation from Care Provider Perspectives

“…With prevalence of diabetes around the world, diabetes care information such as metabolic control, balance nutrition, and complication prevention has been documented and organized by healthcare providers or associated organization [20][21][22][23][24]. An integrated and community-based care support system [4,25] is needed to make the diabetes care information available for patients and to facilitate patient-provider communication with friendly tools [8]. With the advanced information technology, the care support system can have the potential to effectively extend the services of current healthcare systems [9,26].…”

“…Many of the activities such as measuring after meal blood glucose and taking exercise are socially bounded with patients' daily schedules. How to identify care requirements from such socially and looselycoupled self-care activities and equip with continuous external care supports is crucial to both diabetic patients and care providers [8,9].…”

A framework for patient practitioner information exchange

“…The thinly spread ranks of over-stretched practitioners, particularly qualified nurses in remote areas, are constantly faced with mastering the complex challenges of socio-cultural engagement without significant advances in communications capabilities. Much has been published on the subject of patient-practitioner consultation and several models have been offered by physicians and other health professionals who are aware of the need to improve the outcome of their encounters with patients [6], [7]. The human body and mind together comprise a repository of knowledge.…”