Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1468749
41 PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE Despite overall satisfaction, patients struggle with some aspects of rural healthcare By Georgina Gonzalez D espite 93 percent of patients reporting satisfac- tion with the service and expertise provided at rural health providers, price transparency and wait times created difficulties for some patients. Wipfli, a healthcare accounting and consulting firm, surveyed 1,045 people on their experiences with rural health providers, the company said on March 31. Although a majority of respondents reported overall satisfaction, there were some issues. 1. While only a quarter of patients looked for rural health providers' prices, almost 30 percent of those who did couldn't find any prices published. 2. About 37 percent of patients experienced longer wait times for treatment over the course of the pandemic. 3. Thirty-six percent of respondents said they used telehealth, but only 30 percent said they prefer it to in-person visits. n Trust, the less-discussed social determinant of health By Katie Adams H ow much trust a patient places in the healthcare system is a significant determinant of good health behavior, according to a report released March 10 by marketing consultancy firm Edelman. The report surveyed roughly 10,000 respondents across 10 countries from Feb. 10-18. Here are four takeaways: 1. Fifty-five percent of respondents said medical science is becoming politicized or being used to support political agendas, a concern that makes patients have less trust in the healthcare system. 2. Patients with lower trust levels are less likely to receive preventive care. 3. Seventy-two percent of respondents with high levels of trust are likely to accept changing recommendations from healthcare officials, whereas 51 percent of respondents with low trust are likely to accept the same recommenda- tions. 4. Eighty-two percent of respondents with high trust are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, whereas 61 percent of respondents with low trust are fully vaccinated. n Dr. Vineet Arora: Female physicians are not immune to the 'she-cession' By Georgina Gonzalez W omen, including female physicians, were hit hard during the pandemic, as they juggled their careers and a pleth- ora of caregiving responsibilities, according to Vineet Arora, MD, speaking on a March 21 American Medical Association podcast. Dr. Arora, dean for medical education of the biological sciences division at University of Chicago Medicine, told the AMA that female physicians, already facing disproportionate rates of burnout, have not been insulated from the "she-cession." Female physicians are taking early retirements or moving into jobs with better work-life balance in response to burnout and stress. "Many careers, including being a leader in medicine, have not been compatible with being a woman or a caregiver in medicine. We are seeing that the pandemic has exacerbated this issue, particularly for women and others, intersectional identities, those that have care- giving responsibilities, that's become really urgent," she said. It's not just caregiving and lack of work-life balance that is driving female physicians to quit, but also the toll of judgment and mistreatment. "When women are taking leadership roles, even in the residen- cy setting to help improve patient care, they are judged unfairly compared to their male counterparts," she said. "at can also lead to burnout." Also, even when women are at the top of their organizations, they can face the "glass cliff " phenomenon, in which women are chosen to lead already failing companies, making their jobs harder and their performance more harshly judged. "I would argue that this whole crisis that we have in burnout is be- cause it's not the system that produces those healthy, stable doctors. We need to really lead the way to produce healthy, stable doctors, and we can if we are just willing to change," said Dr. Arora. n "Many careers, including being a leader in medicine, have not been compatible with being a woman or caregiver in medicine." Vineet Arora, MD University of Chicago Medicine