You're a patient advocate. How can you make the most of your tools?

While we are in the midst of the AI and digital health era, we must acknowledge that there still is a lot of resistance, hence MD-to-patient communication is still precedence to digital patient advocacy tools. In fact, patients won't use tools unless the information is clear and provides a return of investment. On top of that, many patients are already overwhelmed with their health situation and cannot devote time and energy to stay up-to-date on diagnose specific information, healthcare policies etc. or simply intimidated by digital health and information all together. We MUST keep patient advocacy tools simple, easy to use and understand and ensure they provide a benefit of use that gets everyone excited whether digital, print or verbal

Its not just about knowing your tools, but more so knowing your local area, the needs of the individuals in that area, and the needs of the patient you are working with. Once you understand that, you can move onto tools to benefit the patients for the direct medical issue you may be dealing with, as well as other support services available to patients. For example, TheMedi.org has geomapped all social services available in each zipcode so that advocates can guide patients on alternative support options like transportation, reimbursement, maternal aid, etc.

No mention of the key to unlock the doors that keep Patient Advocates out in the cold or the helmets that prevent injury when they are banging their heads against a brick wall.

While tools can be beneficial to help patients understand their decisions, we have to realize that education begins the moment a patient is admitted—not just right before discharge. Every interaction should include small bits of information, as to not overload new information. Describing nursing interventions and updates in “layman’s terms” can go a long way. Ultimately, we have to realize that some patients will have to change their entire lifestyle once they leave the hospital. Overwhelming them with technology may do more harm than good. Ultimately, educating patients and having two to three reliable sources to reference may be beneficial.

Embracing a proactive approach as a patient advocate involves leveraging various tools at your disposal. Familiarizing yourself with patient portals, electronic health records (EHRs), decision aids, patient education materials, and quality measures is essential. These tools empower you to communicate effectively, update patient information, aid in decision-making, provide reliable information, and assess outcomes. To maximize their effectiveness, ongoing awareness of the latest updates, policies, and best practices is crucial. This ensures you stay at the forefront of patient advocacy, delivering informed and impactful support to those under your care.

Personalized Care: Customizing treatment allows healthcare providers to tailor interventions to the specific needs, preferences, and characteristics of individual patients, ensuring a more personalized and effective approach. Improved Outcomes: Tailored treatments increase the likelihood of positive outcomes by addressing unique aspects of a patient's condition. This approach minimizes the risk of adverse reactions and enhances overall treatment success. Patient Engagement: Customized treatment plans involve patients in their healthcare decisions, promoting better engagement and adherence. Patients are more likely to follow a plan that aligns with their values, lifestyle, and preferences.

Customization is the key to optimizing tools for patient advocacy. Recognizing that every patient advocate operates within a unique context, with distinct goals and challenges, underscores the importance of tailoring tools to individual needs. Identifying personal strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement enables effective customization. This involves adjusting settings in patient portals and EHRs, selecting decision aids and educational materials that align with patient needs, and modifying quality measures to accurately reflect performance. Actively seeking feedback from patients, colleagues, and supervisors further refines the customization process, ensuring that tools align seamlessly with the advocate's workflow and objectives.

I agree with the response provided by Matt Toresco especially regarding the awesome tool available through TheMedi.org. My add is that another way advocates can get the most from the tools they use is to educate the patient on how to use those tools. In doing so the patient will be empowered to become a key factor in their own health journey.

Las dos herramientas que más se deben optimizar en defensa del paciente y están casi extintas, son escuchar y dialogar. Por más organizada y bonita que este la información, si no hay un contexto integral, esto puede llevar a malos diagnósticos y malos entendidos. En la actualidad se usa mucho la palabra "asertividad", que es una buena herramienta, siempre y cuando haya un gran trabajo personal y una inmensa responsabilidad entre lo que se piensa, siente, dice y hace. De lo contrario, es una simple etiqueta desde lo políticamente correcto, para quedar bien o excusarse y no una postura responsable de comprensión y empatía. Como diría William Osler: "El buen médico trata la enfermedad; el gran médico trata al paciente que tiene la enfermedad".

Efficient patient advocacy relies on seamless integration of tools. As a patient advocate, ensuring compatibility, interoperability, and complementarity among tools is crucial. Collaborating with professionals and organizations requires harmonious integration. For instance, linking patient portals and EHRs with telehealth enhances communication. Aligning decision aids and education materials with clinical guidelines improves efficacy. Comparing quality measures with industry benchmarks ensures best practices. Exploring tool options, features, and integrations, along with building relationships with partners, contributes to a cohesive and effective integration strategy.

When you’re starting out, keep it simple. Seek feedback from your clients and the healthcare people involved in your client’s care. Incorporate small surveys to monitor key aspects like: satisfaction (process) and key outcomes (for example, was the issue resolved?). Keep a simple spreadsheet of your data. In time, and with an open and inquisitive mind, you’ll start to see themes or patterns emerge, or discover gaps or areas that need attention. Never be hard on your self for finding lessons because it means you’re open to improving. The IHI (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) has a quality, widely accepted methodology that can be applied simply or to more complex problems. Lastly, it’s always best to evaluate as you go.

It is important to get feedback from others so that we can improve on patient advocacy. In long term care, I speak with the nurse manager and my colleagues about how we can improve person centered care for our patients (residents).

As patient advocate, consistently assessing and enhancing the effectiveness of our tools is imperative. Adapting them to meet the evolving needs of patients and their families is paramount. Demonstrating the significance of our tools to our organization and profession is essential. We gauge their effectiveness by soliciting feedback from patients, families, and colleagues, and by participating in surveys and studies to ensure safety and efficacy. Setting clear objectives aids in thorough tool evaluation, and sharing insights with peers fosters continual improvement in patient care.

Es importante organizar y trabajar el material didáctico (lecturas, videos y podcast) con el paciente, para que pueda poner en práctica esas herramientas en su vida cotidiana y le ayude a comprender mejor su situación actual y sobre todo, para trabajar sus emociones. Muchas personas no identifican sus emociones negativas hasta que tienen una experiencia de salud desfavorable, entonces, es importante tener en cuenta la construcción de un puente, entre el material didáctico y las emociones, con el fin de transmitir al paciente la posibilidad de un cambio de actitud, alentar la creatividad, la empatía y la resiliencia con respecto a su condición y padecimiento. Esto ayuda a dar soporte de los efectos y resultados esperados.

Learning from your tools as a patient advocate is key for adapting to changing needs. Stay updated and expand your skills to meet evolving challenges. Explore learning opportunities in patient portals and EHRs, like online courses and webinars. Use decision aids and patient education materials to stay informed. Identify areas for improvement with quality measures. Cultivate a curious mindset to grow effectively. Plan personal and professional development activities to enhance your advocacy impact.

AI innovated EHR for patients is accessible to patients which has educational links that benefits the patients. Every diagnosis and lab results have a link to learn about them, signs and symptoms and ways to manage them. This is very important for our patients. Not too tech savvy patients can have their loved ones assist with this as well.

Networking strategically and purposefully a patient advocate is a crucial step in leveraging my role effectively. By joining and actively participating in online groups, forums, and communities, I can connect with individuals and groups sharing similar interests and challenges. This not only broadens my professional network but also enhances my understanding of diverse patient needs and perspectives.

Be clear about what you are offering and your scope of practice. For example, legal vs non-legal advocacy. Also understand and consider whether you are offering self-advocacy, individual-advocacy or system-advocacy.

Build the tools WITH patients. Consult them BEFORE you even start so that you know what kind of tools are needed or wanted. This is not a “build it and they will come” scenario. Tools will only be useful if they address a patient need and are easily usable by the patient.

The most important tools a patient advocate has is the ability to listen empathetically and without judgment. All the technology in the world is useless unless you have the patients’ and families trust to help them navigate the complex Byzantine bureaucracies associated with the US health care delivery system,

A patient advocate is an autonomous instrument, and their competence lies in effectively leveraging themselves to serve patients with a well-balanced application of their knowledge. The efficacy of a patient advocate is influenced and gauged by various geo-cultural dimensions. However, their true strength lies in how culturally and environmentally relevant they can be in aiding both patients and the organizations they serve. To maximize the utility of this tool, patient advocates must consistently strive to understand, enrich, and enhance their knowledge, aligning it with the specific needs and contexts of each scenario. This reflective approach transforms them into a potent and resourceful tool amid a plethora of well-equipped resources.

Para concluir, no está de más advertir, que más allá de dar ideas o recetas conclusivas. Es ampliar la comprensión. Antes de ser "doctores" debemos ser "pacientes". Así, podemos tener una visión más humana sobre tener una mejor atención al paciente y comprender que la mejor herramienta que uno puede dar, es el compromiso bioético de cada uno desde su profesión. De modo que el conocimiento este en un mismo espacio y tiempo, que los pensamientos que se excluyen y al mismo tiempo se complementan, como: el pasado y el presente, lo personal y lo colectivo, lo objetivo y lo subjetivo, lo humano y lo ecológico, sea el motor para seguir creando conciencia sobre la importancia de la buena práctica y la buena atención al paciente desde lo humano.