Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1149353
16 PATIENT EXPERIENCE Viewpoint: Patients' lies to providers must be addressed By Anne-Marie Kommers I t is imperative that physicians form more collaborative, trusting relation- ships with their patients to encourage more honest conversations about their health, Angela Fagerlin, PhD, department chair of population health sciences at Salt Lake City-based University of Utah School of Medicine, argues in an op-ed for AAMC News. Over 80 percent of patients have withheld important information from their physicians, according to a 2018 study conducted by Dr. Fagerlin and several of her colleagues. Patients' reasons for lying included not wanting to be judged or lectured on their behavior, wanting to avoid hearing how bad their behavior is and feeling embarrassed. To address these issues, Dr. Fagerlin suggests fostering "a collaborative physician-patient relationship." Instead of using top-down communica- tion, physicians should take a problem-solving approach that allows them to work together with patients. A physician might ask a patient whether a given medication strains his or her family budget, for example, and then talk through the issue with the patient to address such concerns. Dr. Fagerlin argues that failure to improve physician-patient relationships could endanger patients' lives and well-being, since they may be tempted to withhold crucial health information from their physicians. n Teamwork is main driver of patient loyalty, Press Ganey finds By Mackenzie Bean T he main driver of patient loyalty in hospitals and medical practices is teamwork between clinicians, according to a report from Press Ganey. Press Ganey researchers reviewed 2018 survey results from more than 1.3 million inpatients, 2.2 million medical practice patients and 285,162 emergency department patients to analyze the top drivers of patient and physician loyalty. They also reviewed survey results from 73,221 clinicians. Four report findings: 1. In the medical setting, the three top drivers of patient loyalty were team- work, respect and courtesy. 2. Teamwork was also the top driver in the hospital setting, followed by nurse courtesy and caregivers' responsiveness to patient concerns or complaints. 3. In the emergency department, the top loyalty driver was patients' percep- tion that staff members cared about them. 4. For physicians, main loyalty drivers included collaboration across the care team, a strong partnership with the healthcare organization and support for delivering safe, high-quality care. n Familial support best way to engage patients in their health, survey shows By Anuja Vaidya W hen it comes to engaging patients in their health goals, support from friends and family outranks support from clinicians or finan- cial rewards, according to an NEJM Catalyst patient engagement survey. e online survey polled members of the NEJM Catalyst Insights Council, of which 607 completed the survey. e NEJM Catalyst Insights Council includes U.S. executives, clinical leaders and clinicians at healthcare organizations. e key approaches for engaging patients in realizing health goals according to respon- dents are: Note: Respondents were asked what they consid- ered the top two most effective ways to ensure patient engagement in their health goals. • Family/friends support: 35 percent • Education: 30 percent • Clinician support: 30 percent • Financial rewards for healthy behaviors: 27 percent • Making healthy choices easier through design (for example, cafeteria layout): 23 percent • Benefit design incentives: 13 percent • Financial penalties for unhealthy behav- iors: 12 percent • Peer pressure: 8 percent • Subsidized wearable devices: 5 percent • Taxes (for example, on sugary beverages): 5 percent • Social media: 4 percent n