What are the top patient advocacy trends you need to know?

Patient advocacy is the practice of supporting, empowering, and representing patients in their interactions with the health care system. As a patient advocate, you need to be aware of the latest trends and challenges that affect your role and your clients. Here are some of the top patient advocacy trends you need to know.

1 Digital health literacy

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital health tools, such as telehealth, online portals, apps, and wearable devices. These technologies can offer convenience, accessibility, and personalized care, but they also require patients to have digital health literacy. This means the ability to find, understand, evaluate, and use digital health information and services. As a patient advocate, you can help your clients improve their digital health literacy by educating them on how to use these tools, how to protect their privacy and security, and how to communicate effectively with their providers.

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Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Patient Advocate & Healthcare Consultant
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Whilst the fact that digital health tools have been integrated into most care settings in some shape, way, or form is true, it brings another issue in that there are no universal standards for this. For example, my IBD team don't use a digital health platform, but other hospital trusts do - and not even the same one everywhere... You would think that my NHS app would link to all of the services I access within the NHS, but it does not. I have to use a separate one for Physio, and one of the hospitals I receive care at has its own app etc. Unless advocates are expected to learn how to use hundreds of apps and services, most of which they don't personally even use, it's simply not realistic.

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2 Health equity and social determinants

Health equity is the principle that everyone should have a fair opportunity to achieve their optimal health, regardless of their social, economic, or environmental circumstances. Social determinants of health are the factors that influence health outcomes, such as income, education, race, gender, culture, and neighborhood. As a patient advocate, you can help your clients address the barriers and disparities that affect their health by connecting them with resources, advocating for their rights, and promoting diversity and inclusion in health care.

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3 Patient engagement and empowerment

Patient engagement and empowerment are the processes of involving patients in their own care and decision-making, and giving them the skills, knowledge, and confidence to manage their health. Patient engagement and empowerment can improve patient satisfaction, quality of care, and health outcomes. As a patient advocate, you can help your clients engage and empower themselves by providing them with information, support, and guidance, and encouraging them to ask questions, express their preferences, and participate in shared decision-making.

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Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford

Patient Advocate & Healthcare Consultant
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Knowing what your rights are and should be is completely different to the care that is actually delivered. A simple example of this is that in the UK. All patients have the right to access primary care services digitally (since April 2021), such as web and video consultations. However, my GP does not offer this.

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4 Patient experience and feedback

Patient experience and feedback are the measures of how patients perceive and evaluate their interactions with the health care system. Patient experience and feedback can provide valuable insights into the quality, safety, and effectiveness of health care, and identify areas for improvement. As a patient advocate, you can help your clients share their experience and feedback by facilitating surveys, reviews, complaints, and compliments, and ensuring that their voices are heard and respected by the health care providers and organizations.

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Gabriel Grove, MHA

In Memory of My Dad 💔| Future Nurse ❤️| Writer ❤️
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I always listen to my patients and value their concerns and feedback. Both positive patient experiences and negative ones garner needed feedback for both my team and the health system as a whole. Whenever patients express their concerns with the care they received either over the phone or in person at their appointment, it helps me to learn the areas we need to improve on. Being on the frontlines of patient service offers a unique opportunity to deliver a positive experience so patients can have access to quality patient care.

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5 Patient safety and quality improvement

Patient safety and quality improvement are the goals of reducing harm and errors, and enhancing the performance and outcomes of health care. Patient safety and quality improvement require a culture of transparency, accountability, and learning, and a commitment to continuous improvement. As a patient advocate, you can help your clients ensure their safety and quality of care by monitoring their care plans, reporting any incidents or concerns, and participating in quality improvement initiatives and activities.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are the top patient advocacy trends you need to know?

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4

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1 Digital health literacy

2 Health equity and social determinants

3 Patient engagement and empowerment

4 Patient experience and feedback

5 Patient safety and quality improvement

6 Here’s what else to consider

Patient Advocacy

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What are the top patient advocacy trends you need to know?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Digital health literacy

2 Health equity and social determinants

3 Patient engagement and empowerment

4 Patient experience and feedback

5 Patient safety and quality improvement

6 Here’s what else to consider

Patient Advocacy

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