Why have we included a section on ‘patient empowerment’?
People talk about ‘patient empowerment’ to the extent that it sometimes runs the risk of losing its meaning. So what does it mean? Does ‘power’ corrupt? And, how can patients use knowledge to work with health professionals to get the best possible care? More latterly what is the impact of AI on patient empowerment?
Assisting patient choice
Consider the patient who receives three different management plans from three specialists, or who has just run their lab results through an AI tool and received a series of probability-weighted prognoses. These are no longer rare instances, they are fast becoming the norm. What that patient often lacks isn’t more data, but the information underpinning ‘informed choice’ and the confidence to choose.
What questions should you be asking in order to get insight into all your treatment options? Have you referred to a medical consultation checklist for additional insight and help?
Doctors are now stepping into the role of clinical translator, which means helping patients to:
- weigh the evidence,
- understand trade-offs, and
- align decisions with personal values and life goals.
That might mean they have to explain why one expert prefers conservative treatment while another recommends surgery. It may involve helping you understand the potential implications of doing nothing, or how 'comorbidities', lifestyle, or your psychological readiness will affect outcomes. This will be time well invested.
Doctors are cultivating new skills: not just clinical knowledge, but ethical discernment, narrative listening, and psychological insight. Your doctor will increasingly be a partner in the provision of medically ‘meaningful’ advise.
Also, what is ‘patient choice’ in reality? What choice do patients actually have and how can patients work closer with their doctors to review all the most relevant options?
Below are listed further articles with links to our sister website Total Doctor with top tips and information for selecting the best hospitals, measuring doctor performance and the hazards of not reading the small print when it comes to private medical insurance (PMI). Finding out that you have a condition that is not covered by the policy that you have been paying for years, is not a nice surprise.
