Last updated on Aug 22, 2024

You're caught between medical staff and patient wishes. How do you find common ground?

Navigating the delicate balance between medical staff's professional recommendations and a patient's personal wishes can be a daunting task. As a patient advocate, you're in a unique position to bridge this gap, ensuring that the patient's voice is heard while respecting the expertise of healthcare providers. Finding common ground requires patience, empathy, and a thorough understanding of both medical protocols and the patient's rights and desires. It's a challenging yet rewarding endeavor that can significantly impact the quality of care and the patient's satisfaction with their treatment.

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1 Understand Roles

Understanding the roles and responsibilities of both medical staff and patients is crucial in finding common ground. Medical professionals are trained to make decisions based on clinical evidence and best practices, aiming to provide the best possible outcomes. Meanwhile, patients have the right to make informed choices about their own care, based on their values, beliefs, and preferences. As a patient advocate, you must respect the expertise of the healthcare team while ensuring that the patient's voice is not overshadowed by medical authority. Striking this balance involves clear communication and a deep respect for both parties' perspectives.

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Dr Meha Rathod

Leading innovations across the multiple sectors, primarily healthcare.
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Finding common ground between medical staff and patient wishes requires effective communication and empathy. First, actively listen to both parties to understand their perspectives and concerns. Encourage open dialogue, allowing the medical staff to explain the rationale behind their recommendations while also validating the patient’s feelings and desires. Next, facilitate a collaborative discussion where both sides can express their viewpoints. Highlight shared goals, such as the patient’s well-being and quality of life. Explore options that respect medical expertise while accommodating patient preferences. If needed, involve a mediator or ethics committee to provide additional insights.

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2 Build Trust

Building trust is the cornerstone of effective patient advocacy. Trust is cultivated by demonstrating empathy, maintaining confidentiality, and consistently advocating for the patient's best interests. When medical staff see that you're committed to both the patient's well-being and the integrity of their treatment plan, they're more likely to view you as a collaborator rather than an adversary. Similarly, when patients feel that their concerns are being taken seriously, they're more open to understanding the medical advice given. Establishing trust with both sides can lead to more productive discussions and mutually acceptable solutions.

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3 Communicate Clearly

Clear communication is essential when mediating between medical staff and patients. It's important to listen actively to both sides, ensuring that the patient understands their medical situation and the staff understands the patient's wishes. As a patient advocate, you should facilitate conversations that promote clarity, using layman's terms when necessary to explain medical jargon. Summarize key points to confirm understanding and ask open-ended questions to encourage dialogue. By fostering an environment where everyone feels heard, you can help identify common goals and work towards a compromise.

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4 Educate Empathetically

Empathetic education involves explaining medical information to patients in a way that is sensitive to their emotions and cognizant of their values. It's your job to help patients understand the potential outcomes of their choices without making them feel judged or coerced. This often means translating complex medical concepts into accessible language and helping patients weigh the benefits and risks of different options. By providing education with empathy, you empower patients to make informed decisions that align with their personal preferences while also considering medical recommendations.

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5 Explore Alternatives

Exploring alternatives is a proactive approach to resolving conflicts between medical staff and patient wishes. When a proposed treatment plan is at odds with what a patient wants, work with the healthcare team to find other viable options. Sometimes, a compromise can be reached by adjusting the treatment method, timing, or setting. Encourage creativity and flexibility in developing a plan that satisfies both the medical objectives and the patient's comfort level. By considering alternative pathways, you may discover solutions that had not been initially apparent.

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6 Negotiate Solutions

Negotiating solutions is the final step in reconciling differences between medical staff and patient wishes. This involves discussing the options on the table and finding a middle ground that respects the patient's autonomy while adhering to medical standards. It's important to keep the patient's health and safety at the forefront of these negotiations, but also to acknowledge their right to make choices about their own body. With patience and persistence, you can help negotiate a plan of care that honors both the medical staff's expertise and the patient's individuality.

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AbdulRahman Ashraf

Patient Care Coach IQVIA | General Dentist
(edited)
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The shift to a patient-centric approach requires an intermediary (the patient advocate). The role of a patient advocate will balance out two difficult ends of the scale: patient autonomy, preferences and desires VS medical standards, HCPs’ expertise and patient safety. Although we should always champion patient safety and health, we should always respect the patients rights of making informed decisions about their own health and bodies. Navigating this path can be daunting, yet it will preserve balance and eventually result out in the greater welfare of patients.

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You're caught between medical staff and patient wishes. How do you find common ground?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Understand Roles

2 Build Trust

3 Communicate Clearly

4 Educate Empathetically

5 Explore Alternatives

6 Negotiate Solutions

Patient Advocacy

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You're caught between medical staff and patient wishes. How do you find common ground?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Understand Roles

2 Build Trust

3 Communicate Clearly

4 Educate Empathetically

5 Explore Alternatives

6 Negotiate Solutions

Patient Advocacy

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