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Pharmacy Times
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Patient-centered care involves educating and empowering individuals to take responsibility for their own care.
Ensuring the safe prescribing and dispensing of medications to patients is a core function of the pharmacist. Pharmacists not only ensure that patients receive the correct medication and dosing but also provide the information patients need to use the medication safely and effectively.
Over the past half-century, the relationship between patient and health care provider has shifted from paternalism, in which the provider decides what is in the patient’s best interest, to patient-centered care, in which decisions that support an individual patient’s needs, goals, and values are made using shared decision-making (SDM).
Kathleen Kenny, PharmD, RPh, earned her doctoral degree from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She has more than 30 years of experience as a community pharmacist and works as a clinical medical writer based out of Homosassa, Florida.
SDM has been traditionally defined as a collaborative approach through which, in partnership with their health care provider, patients are encouraged to think about the available care options and the pros and cons of each, to communicate their preferences, and help select the best course of action that fits these. Shared decision-making is a natural result of patient-centered care, a model of health care that involves patients as active participants in their care, along with their families and health care providers.
Patient-centered care brings patients into the decision-making process and promotes patient autonomy, which can lead to more successful outcomes and increases in patient levels of satisfaction with health care.1 Therefore, all health care providers are encouraged to support patient autonomy in decision-making regarding their treatment that matches their current values and beliefs.
There are many strategies to encourage patients to participate in their health care. Patient education is a key piece, helping patients to understand their care plans. This can lead to improved adherence, efficacy, and medication safety. Pharmacists should also counsel patients on the proper use of their medications, the purpose of each treatment, and the expected outcomes.
Pharmacists should also help patients make informed, evidence-based decisions about their treatments, goals, and other aspects of their health. Encourage patients to take ownership of their treatments and empower them to advocate for themselves and their unique needs. Part of this can be helping patients use self-management skills, develop problem-solving strategies, and incorporate disease knowledge into their treatment decisions.
Implementing patient feedback channels can also be beneficial. Create opportunities for patients and pharmacists to collaborate on decisions regarding medications, adverse effects, and health care costs. Technology can help optimize this communication, in addition to allowing patients to monitor their health more actively by providing realtime data, personalized health information, and alerts.
Some devices can also provide predictive analytics.2
Pharmacists are especially adept at minimizing barriers to care. Ensure patients have access to care by suggesting solutions to barriers, supplying educational materials, and recommending further resources.3
All of these steps can improve patient satisfaction. Greater patient involvement in health care decision-making improves satisfaction with care regardless of the decisions made or the outcomes achieved. Overall satisfaction with care is higher when decisions are reached through shared decision-making.4 The Table5-7 provides some strategies to further support patient behavior change.
Accountability is a key concept in pharmacy and generally refers to taking responsibility for one’s own actions, choices, and behaviors. For pharmacists, accountability is an important tool for helping patients make positive changes in their health and well-being.By holding patients accountable for their choices and actions, pharmacists can help them stick to their goals, stay on track, and make lasting changes. In short, patient accountability is a key ingredient in the success of any behavior changes.
