Have you ever left the doctor’s office saying to yourself, “What did the doctor say to do besides pick up the medicine at the pharmacy and take it as it says on the label?” You’re not alone. People retain only about 50% of the information given at a doctor visit. Factors contributing to this lack of retention are:
- Shock of the diagnosis
- Simple lack of memory
- Distractions (such as watching young children)
- Feeling intimidated by the healthcare professional
The last factor is a pretty significant one. A recent example made the news. According to an article in The New York Times, Carolyn Bucksbaum of Chicago had been misdiagnosed by an arrogant physician years earlier, and in her words, “He never even apologized.”
Years later, Ms. Bucksbaum and her husband, Matthew, found Mark Siegler, MD, at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Dr. Siegler, whose care the Bucksbaums find compassionate, is a medical ethicist and has been a general practitioner for more than 40 years.
The Bucksbaums believe so strongly in the importance of humility in patient care and working with the patient that they gave the University of Chicago Medical Center $42 million to create an institute for improving medical students' bedside manner. In Dr. Siegler’s words, “To care for a patient, you have to care about a patient.”
Another example is a personal one. About a year and a half ago, my mother was diagnosed with a chronic illness by a specialist who prescribed medication that had frightening side effects. My father called me in a panic, so I took an emergency trip to see my parents in southern Vermont.
We went to see her doctor, who was very polished, with his Yale Medical School diploma on the wall. Even in my presence, he was condescending to my mother. I interceded and asked simple, direct questions: what was the diagnosis, what was the treatment, why had he put her on another drug and then gone “on vacation” and not been available to deal with the negative side effects? He apologized and said that he hadn’t seen that effect in more than 5 years. He recommended a diet change and a different medication, but this was only after my mother’s negative experience on a drug. Why couldn’t he have done this for my mother from the beginning?
Improving healthcare professionals’ bedside manner is definitely a step in the right direction to improving patient outcomes, but there’s more that can be done by and for the patient.
Empowering the patient to take charge of his or her own health is often touted, but how can the patient be empowered with real, practical solutions?
The path to patient empowerment starts with gaining an understanding of patients' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors about their disease and symptoms. What are the barriers to getting treatment and caring for themselves? Insight mining and patient journey development can help give marketers and educators a deep understanding of their patients’ barriers to self-care.
Understanding the patient journey can also help uncover the motivators for patients to get better care. This informs content development and delivery in a way that will help patients manage their disease, including preparing for office visits with their healthcare professionals and taking action that leads to better health outcomes.
There’s been some progress in improving the patient and healthcare professional dialogue and patient outcomes, but there’s still so much more to be done. I, for one, look forward to seeing the work at the University of Chicago Medical Center and to seeing more healthcare marketers develop patient journeys and programs to help patients become empowered to manage their disease and be healthier.
Charlene Leitner
VP, Strategy
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