Patient empowerment, really.....?

[jodysd6]

So last week I was at a conference where top bods in the NHS spoke about how important patient empowerment is, how looking after ourselves is a partnership, how patients should be educated and supported to play an active role in their own health, blah blah. It all sounded fantastic and lovely, but I'm not sure the same message is reaching the actual clinicians.

A friend attended a cardiology clinic following an abnormal ecg. The consultant didn't know she was diabetic so she told him and said her last a1c was 47 and she was diet controlled, he asked her 'are you a nurse?' She said no so he continued with questioning on her previous jobs and then started talking about how when your car is fixed you go to a mechanic and just listen to what they say and you don't need to try and fix it yourself. He ended with telling her she didn't need to know results like that and just to listen to doctors as they know! She was a bit shocked and couldn't come up with a good response so just nodded and when she told me it just makes me so sad, she is self testing etc and how dare anyone suggest that you don't need to know and be able to act on how your own body is working.

If doctors could actually empower patients Imagine the impact that could actually have.....

 

[donnellysdogs]

So last week I was at a conference where top bods in the NHS spoke about how important patient empowerment is, how looking after ourselves is a partnership, how patients should be educated and supported to play an active role in their own health, blah blah. It all sounded fantastic and lovely, but I'm not sure the same message is reaching the actual clinicians.

A friend attended a cardiology clinic following an abnormal ecg. The consultant didn't know she was diabetic so she told him and said her last a1c was 47 and she was diet controlled, he asked her 'are you a nurse?' She said no so he continued with questioning on her previous jobs and then started talking about how when your car is fixed you go to a mechanic and just listen to what they say and you don't need to try and fix it yourself. He ended with telling her she didn't need to know results like that and just to listen to doctors as they know! She was a bit shocked and couldn't come up with a good response so just nodded and when she told me it just makes me so sad, she is self testing etc and how dare anyone suggest that you don't need to know and be able to act on how your own body is working.

If doctors could actually empower patients Imagine the impact that could actually have.....

Empowerment will come with consultants slowly....

First off they need to know that as of april 2016 (zif not already that online patients will be able to view the letters they write to the GPs.

For example... My consultant did not tell me my life expectancy or exact results after my cancer recently. As I have full online access I could view what he wrote to my GP and could see my life expectancy. He should have told me. An official complaint is being logged with my hospital this week going to the CEO by hand. This is one item of concern that the CEO has to deal with. He has to inform his consultants that patients have access to documents that are written. This is going to empower the patient as Consultants are going to have to ensure that notes and talks are exact.

PHB's are also being brought in supposedly to empower the patient, but very few patients will be entitled to these and only 13 CCGs have taken the option from NHS England to use them. These could empower patients but have had a lot of bad press about them.

The NHS is using the words "empowering patients" everywhere. I too have been to conferences where these words are being used. In some way, I feel a little behind these words as I went to a diabetes/obesity conference meeting with our CCG and unfortunately I started to use the words to our CCG heads..... Even accosting and blocking the top chaps car in, in the car park so he had to listen to me. I actually started using the words "empowering patients" at this conference and since then in our CCG and the NHS its been the only words they know!- yet they still can't put it in to practice.

Your friend could always write a review on the hospital website but the only thing you cannot write is the actual consultants name-but rough details of empowering and not listening etc could be used!

 

[tim2000s]

Lol. That's the kind of reaction that I tend to lecture at. Had a cardio vascular professor once tell me that "blood pressure was far more important than blood glucose to prolong a diabetic's life". I politely informed him that while he hat might be his opinion, as a t1, I was fairly certain that would kill me. Would he like to place a small wager on it? Surprising how quickly he shut up...