Physicians see numerous patients in his/her office daily along with making hospital rounds.  We also know that when attending medical school, the main focus is the cause of illness, how to cure the illness.  And to be perfectly blunt with you in today atmosphere for some it boils down to revenue.  Over the years we have seen unnecessary double testing on patients which increased health care costs.  Not taking into consideration that unnecessary testing can cause patient discomfort, patient harm.  Unnecessary testing can also lead to false positive results, which often lead to other tests, a phenomenon known as a diagnostic cascade.

But What About Patient Education?

Contrary to belief patients who understand his/her health will treat his/her health.  That is why it is important for clinicians to meet patients on his/her level.  If you want the patient to trust you and be compliant then you have to speak to them in layman terms a level of communication that is understandable.  Those in underserved communities lack the understanding when medical terminology is used, and we cannot forget about the socioeconomic background that exists in these communities.  A physician can provide a patient with care advice in his/her office, but once the patient returns home do you honestly think he/she remembers everything the doctor stated?

Benefits of Patient Education

• Less prescription abandonment due to understanding why the medication is crucial to recovery.
• More follow through with treatment plans due to understanding of the disease/illness.
• Patient education leads to better patient satisfaction with providers and their overall care.
• Educational plans can reduce provider’s liability.
• An increase is compliance of treatment plans can lead to an overall reduced cost for patients.

It's Time to Change

The time is now to change the outcome of patients care and health.  It's time for the medical professional to embrace patient education which can lead to a decrease in chronic illness and an increase in quality of care and life.

Reference

https://www.micromd.com/