How can patients communicate their preferences and needs to doctors?

Patients need to empower themselves with the information so that they can clearly and effectively communicate with their care providers. Health systems should also provide the necessary tools and also make it comfortable and easy to allow them to do so.

Patients should take steps toward becoming health literate and more engaged in their care journey (asking questions, looking up health info, using mHealth modalities, etc.) With that being said, a patient who effectively communicates their preferences and needs to doctors, may still be faced with challenges. As such, doctors need to create an environment of open feedback and communication (establish a culture of patient engagement), where patients feel comfortable enough to ask questions, to request referrals and records for a second opinion, to provide alternate solutions/care plans, etc.

Some HCPs can now also offer you to record the conversation to be directly added/stores in your (e-) health record. We’ve found this adds an extra level of trust and reduces risk of misunderstanding. Supplementary to other means, it also reduces some of the tension in the conversation as you all know you can listen to it again, if needed. For all involved, the most important part of the conversation is the ability to inspire towards self-management/self-care also; most of the time/day/week/month/year, people and patients have to be empowered and have the tools to navigate their health - and the conversation should support you in this process.

This is so true and often times we as physicians forget to speak at the level of our patients. When I actively practiced, I used both the medical jargon and simplified terms/descriptions when speaking with my patients. I encouraged them to take notes or bring in a relative. In my country where we speak English and Creole, we often had to translate or describe medical information in Creole to the elderly. That in itself was a bit challenging, as medicine was not taught to us in Creole. Overall, I noted that patients appreciated when we got translators, requested the presence of a trusted family member, got drawings, etc. to better explain their health condition.

This requires mutual trust and respect. A physician should not force his/her patient towards a care plan or treatment, nor should a patient outwardly disrespect and disregard a physician’s recommendations. Applying root cause analysis (RCA) methodology might help with understanding why the patient is refusing to accept care or even work together with the care team.