How do you balance innovation and evidence in patient advocacy?
Patient advocacy is the process of supporting, empowering, and representing patients in their health care decisions and interactions. As a patient advocate, you may face many challenges and opportunities to balance innovation and evidence in your work. How can you ensure that you are using the best available data and methods to help your clients, while also embracing new ideas and solutions that may improve their outcomes and experiences? Here are some tips to help you navigate this complex and dynamic field.
Before you adopt or recommend any innovation, you need to understand the context and the needs of your clients and their health care providers. What are the goals, preferences, values, and priorities of your clients? What are the barriers, gaps, and opportunities in their health care system? What are the ethical, legal, and social implications of the innovation? How does the innovation align with the evidence-based guidelines and standards of care in your field? By asking these questions, you can assess the relevance, feasibility, and suitability of the innovation for your clients.
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Jane Rivers, RN-BC
Experienced ANCC certified in Geriatric Nursing and Registered Nurse Case Manager
In Geriatric Nursing and Home Care, the role of the Case Manager is multifactorial - population, availability of services, cultural beliefs, type of insurance coverage and compliance all play a part for the patient. As a visiting Geriatric Nurse, the goals, preferences, values and priorities of this demographic need a different set of metrics with which to measure needs and outcomes. Chat bots are useless. Providing in-home imaging and out-patient procedures could be very useful. The human touch and interaction is essential in the Geriatric Universe. When applied appropriately, in-home visits can provide the safest, best option for a positive outcome. Tech is great in a facility, but not for an elderly, at-home and frail population.
Not all innovations are created equal. Some may have strong evidence of effectiveness, safety, and quality, while others may have weak or conflicting evidence, or even potential harms or risks. As a patient advocate, you need to evaluate the evidence behind any innovation that you consider or encounter. You can use various sources and tools to help you with this task, such as systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical trials, quality indicators, and decision aids. You can also consult with experts, peers, and other stakeholders to get their perspectives and insights. By evaluating the evidence, you can make informed and critical judgments about the innovation and its impact on your clients.
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Referring to the C-19 vaccination. I found that there are very serious adverse reactions immediately following the injection. How did scientists form a hypothesis? How did they evaluate the evidence or adopt the practices if evidence did not support the Vax. The data collection was disjointed, lacked centralization, and excluded the possibility of error. It certainly never reduced the bias. There was no disease surveillance. This serves as an indication that a trend in adverse reactions from the vaccinations was never reported. There’s something called patient outcome & evidence-based. That was never transmitted to the public. Via news and social media platforms. Preventing the public from making well-informed decisions on their own.
Communication is key to successful patient advocacy. You need to communicate clearly and effectively with your clients and their health care providers about any innovation that you propose or encounter. You need to explain the benefits, risks, uncertainties, and alternatives of the innovation, using plain language, visual aids, and examples. You need to listen to their feedback, concerns, and questions, and address them respectfully and empathetically. You need to respect their autonomy and choices, and support them in making shared and informed decisions. By communicating clearly, you can build trust, rapport, and collaboration with your clients and their health care providers.
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Advocates communicating with patients suffering from hearing loss proves to be much more difficult especially when it comes to geriatrics. Many of these patients will tend to agree with healthcare workers and others without understanding what’s been said to them. In the case of a patient who doesn’t want to use hearing devices, be sure to use simple and short sentences. Ask questions if you’re unsure what your patient is saying. Advocates can improvise by using pen and paper. If the patient is living at home, use a big whiteboard. Have a little bit of fun in communications by using lots of color. Advocates can write down inspirational quotes or something more simple such as, I love you. These actions go a long way.
Innovation is not a one-time event. It is a continuous and dynamic process that requires constant monitoring and adaptation. As a patient advocate, you need to monitor the implementation and outcomes of any innovation that you use or recommend. You need to collect and analyze data, feedback, and experiences to measure the effectiveness, safety, and quality of the innovation. You need to identify any problems, challenges, or gaps that may arise, and seek solutions or improvements. You need to be flexible and responsive to changing needs, preferences, and circumstances of your clients and their health care providers. By monitoring and adapting, you can ensure that the innovation is delivering the best possible results for your clients.
One of the best ways to balance innovation and evidence in patient advocacy is to learn and share. You need to keep yourself updated and informed about the latest developments, trends, and best practices in your field. You need to seek new knowledge, skills, and opportunities to enhance your competence and confidence as a patient advocate. You need to share your experiences, insights, and lessons learned with other patient advocates, health care providers, and stakeholders. You need to participate in networks, communities, and events that foster learning and sharing. By learning and sharing, you can contribute to the advancement and improvement of patient advocacy and health care.
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