Commentary: Connecting with patients and family members for participatory care in the exam room

Facing a spike in patient load, increased need for thorough and accurate documentation of patient encounters, and payment tied to patient satisfaction and outcomes, physicians are under an enormous amount of pressure.

Feeling spread thin and forced to adapt to new industry norms, it's easy to slip into the mindset that our time with patients is transactional: we provide and they receive.

A recent Society for Participatory Medicine survey found that 88 percent of those polled believe that working with their healthcare professional as a partner will help them manage and improve their overall health. Studies such as this one reinforce what we as physicians already know, yet tend to forget: our most esteemed relationships are the ones which make us feel important and valued, and instill in us the desire to be the best versions of ourselves.

So how do physicians manifest this line of thinking and work with patients to achieve the Triple Aim? Long term, we need to reconfigure our practice models with the goal of empowering patients to take responsibility for their health. Addressing failings in today's exam rooms, identified in new research findings, is an ideal place start because it's where we spend the most time with our patients.

Simple changes such as modifying technology and furniture to remove physical barriers between patients and physicians can go a long way toward increasing eye-to-eye contact and face time which fosters the physician-patient relationship. Establishing and nurturing partnerships in the exam room can also be supported through:

Seating that's structurally supportive and comfortable for patients AND physicians
Technology positioned to allow patients to see and review information
Mobile, multi-purpose furnishings enabling smooth transitions between tasks and improved workflow efficiency

Having implemented such changes in my practice, I can attest to the fact that healthcare spaces designed to encourage mutual participation pave a path for more satisfied and healthier patients, and subsequently, happier physicians.

Physicians can no longer ignore that consumerism in healthcare means we must alter our mindset and the environments in which we operate to more actively involve patients in their care. The health of our patients and our profession depends on it.

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