What do you do if patient advocates face resistance to change and need to be adaptable?

We as professionals have to be flexible and understand the best way to meet the individual or agency where they are and work from there. Resistance to change can feel like survival/coping skills are being stripped away. We can help by giving options that make sense and help the individual/organization understand how change will improve their situation or improve a process. And have patience...it doesn't mean change wont happen. Taking time to make a healthy change takes adjustment and makes it more likely for positive changes to become a new process or second nature.

If patient advocates encounter resistance to change, it's crucial to foster open communication and empathy. Listen to concerns and address them respectfully, emphasizing the benefits of adaptation. Provide training and support to help advocates embrace new approaches and technologies. Encourage a mindset of flexibility and continuous learning to navigate evolving healthcare landscapes. By fostering a supportive environment, advocates can better adapt to change and continue advocating effectively for patients.

1. Building relationships: Establishing strong relationships with stakeholders can help in overcoming resistance to change. 2. Communication: Clear & effective communication is crucial when facing resistance to change. Pt advocates can explain the reasons behind the proposed changes,concerns & address them. 3. Flexibility: Being adaptable & open to feedback is important when dealing with resistance to change. Pt advocates should be willing to modify approach based on the feedback. 4. Education and training: Providing education & training on the benefits of the proposed changes can help in gaining support & reducing resistance. 5. Persistence: Change often takes time & pt advocates may need to persist in their efforts to overcome resistance.

In my practice, the resistance is caused by a lack of proper communication and a fear of the unknown. In any setting, the familiar is comfortable even if it is uncomfortable. What has previously worked for me is to find the key leader of a group and sell the change to them. You may be the institutional leader but there is always a social leader. They are the people that help you achieve the change you want to see. Targeting them helps you communicate with the entire group and helps drive the change more effectively

If patient advocates face resistance to change and need to be adaptable, it's essential to develop and strengthen adaptability skills. Start by acknowledging the need for change and the reasons behind it. Be open-minded and willing to explore new ideas and approaches. Develop a growth mindset that views challenges as opportunities for learning and growth. Practice flexibility in your thinking and be willing to adjust your strategies based on new information or feedback. Seek out opportunities to enhance your adaptability skills, such as taking on new responsibilities or roles that require flexibility and resilience.

Our work is not based on persuasion, but rather lead to adopt X or Y treatment by being in agreement. During resistance it is crucial to fully understand the patient's expectations, his reasons and principles. Acting for your health is an opportunity that is opened by the key to listening. In the vast majority of cases, when the patient feels understood in a benevolent and relaxed way, he is more likely to listen to your contribution and adopt it.

Walk the walk; see; evaluate; take a huge step back and analyze situations from various angles. Then decide which coalitions or organizations are best suited to help educate and address potential barriers… because as an Advocate, I do not “work” alone. It takes a village…

To advocate for change, it begins by putting your leg in the shoes of the people or individual you deem it fit and necessary for change. As a Public Health Nutritionist, I can only sight an example in my field. For instance, when counseling my clients about lifestyle changes..I try to understand their point of view and understanding of old and new habits. By creating rapport, I always find a breaking ground to introduce change and how they can genuinely become conscious of whatever new habit I want them to emulate. Building relationship makes it easier for me.

Patient advocates should prepare for occasions that may arise in which they might face resistance to change. One of the key ways to do this is by building strong relationships based on trust and respect, with patients and stakeholders alike

As a patient advocate, building solid relationships starts with believing the patient’s care team has the patient's best interests at heart. When care or communication breakdown happens, I look at the system before questioning the provider. What barriers or obstacles in the system prevent the provider from delivering quality care? Is the workload excessive? Are they short-staffed? Does the system place their needs above the patient? And how do we remove those barriers so that communication and healing begin? While championing my client's autonomy & their right to express their values, goals, and interests, I seek to find a win-win solution that elevates the patient-provider relationship so everyone feels heard, seen, and valued.

1. Empathize and understand: Recognize the concerns and perspectives of those resisting change. 2. Communicate effectively: Clearly explain the reasons for change and the benefits of patient-centered care. 3. Build relationships: Foster trust and collaboration with healthcare providers and stakeholders. 4. Identify allies: Find like-minded individuals or organizations to support and amplify your efforts. 5. Be flexible: Be open to compromise and finding solutions that address concerns.

1) Firstly, engage in open and honest communication to understand the reasons behind the resistance. 2) Provide education and context about the benefits of change and adaptability, emphasizing how it can improve patient care and outcomes. 3) Offer support and resources, such as training programs or mentorship, to help individuals develop the necessary skills and mindset for embracing change. 4) Additionally, lead by example and demonstrate the value of flexibility and resilience in navigating healthcare challenges. 5) Encourage a culture of continuous learning and improvement, where feedback is welcomed, and innovation is celebrated.

In healthcare today, it is difficult to advocate for the needs of your patients at bedside when most stakeholders and superiors in the administration do not hold such intimate, frontline experience. They see numbers before they see people. With that said, it will aid your advocacy to find objective success articles and evidence-based information to present; while simultaneously trying to connect with their empathetic side. I.e., If it were you or your loved one, what level of care would be expected? Once they leave our care, what will they say? How can we optimize our word-of-mouth advertising through our patient care? Humanize the patients whom make up their admission/in-house numbers. Quality care comes with compassionate care.

Data is important, and so are my patients. Behind a number there is always a human life. My patients are not numbers. They are not a one size fits all, not even a one size fits most. Data review is not my strength, and as such, I leave it on the hands of coalitions and organizations such as the CSRO or the ACR, for rheumatology, to work thru it, and issue the best recommendations.

Continuous learning…I like to say “ I am like a sponge”. Is great to see various perspectives from all those touching patient care. For example: Ann Lewandowski; Mark Cuban, Erin Albert, CostPlusDrugs; Matt Ohrt and the FMMA; AHIP; AHA; PhrMA; Healthcare Advocacy Summit; NAMAPA; Arthritis Foundation; Coalition State Rheumatology Orgs; Madelaine Feldman; Loretta Boesing(Safe delivery of meds); Beth Joyner Waldron (National Advocate); and the many others. It is like exploring a huge sea as ecosystem, with all it has to offer….which is highly robust, full of challenges and never a dull moment. I ❤️Advocacy.

Here we have a very nice approach thanks to LinkedIn. One of the resistances I was aware of was the case of a patient with religious convictions who refused a type of treatment. So after listening to the patient, the doctor said to him this "I am not of the same faith as you, and these are not the least values that you possess, God who created men and gave him the ability to heal would not be against his gift" He has been able to adapt to the situation and his answers are oriented in the particular context of the patient

Refer the patient to a clinical psychologist. They possess the necessary expertise and experience to effectively handle such cases.