To say “I had a few questions” after learning I had a brain tumor is an understatement. Born on the cusp between Generation X and the Millennials, my instinctual response as a patient—after posting a hospital selfie to Instagram, of course—is to Google every new medical term I encounter. For the most part, I find […]
I recently attended a lecture by a high school English teacher on the topic of empowerment. She shared the results of an experiment she had done in her classroom where she tried to improve her students’ care and storage of notebook computers used during class. She described engaging her students by sharing with them how […]
One common thread connects all aspects of patient engagement: To truly engage patients, we must communicate with them in health-literate ways so they can be active participants in their own care. For written materials (digital or print), that means using the principles of plain language. While there is a lot written about the need to […]
I woke up yesterday with a pain in my neck. I hate when that happens. It’s annoying; it feels like I have to turn my entire body just to look left. But, on the pain scale, my pain is a one—it’s probably closer to zero—and it will go away soon. But imagine if nearly every […]
Next month, after the holidays have been celebrated and the New Year embraced, nominations will open for the 2018 Sherman Award for Excellence in Patient Engagement. Now is the perfect time to review this past year’s projects, challenges and accomplishments, and find those individuals and programs that stand out for their efforts to engage patients […]
In my post last month about integrating health literacy within an organization, I wrote about using an organization’s own strategic planning to help make your case for integrating health literacy and patient engagement. Well, just a few days after I submitted that post, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), through its own […]
Patient engagement is often described in the context of shared decision-making or health literacy. Engaged patients educate themselves, ask questions and make informed choices: Which approach to cancer treatment is right for me? How can I change my diet to improve my health? What do I need to know to ensure I’m managing my parents’ […]
In 2013, before I’d ever heard of “patient engagement,” I spent many days at doctor’s offices, hospitals, chemo infusion suites, in ambulances, and with visiting nurses in our home. My first husband, Ahmad, had Stage IV bladder cancer, and we spent a draining 11 months in a desperate quest to save his life. I observed […]
For me, a yoga mat and foam roller count as professional tools. They also represent my personal commitment to patient engagement. I’ve worked as a writer and editor for a long time and, most days, spend hours sitting at the computer. That and other things I sometimes overdo—gardening, dancing, life in general—lead to aches and […]
Editor’s Note: This week, we revisit a post written by “e-Patient” Dave deBronkart, whose thoughts are always evolving. In an article published in July in the Beryl Institute’s Patient Experience Journal, deBronkart continued to develop ideas that he explored for Engaging Patients in April: the pace of progress toward engagement and the kind of change that […]