Maricella Cantu
Having a positive relationship with your healthcare provider can have a significant impact on your health outcome. But, in the United States, the patient-provider relationship has regressed.
Increasing commercialisation of the healthcare system has diminished relationships between patients-providers. It has resulted in declining quality of care for patients, communication dispute and provider burnout.
The Rise Of Healthcare Commercialisation
In the past, the dynamic between patient-providers took more of a medical paternalistic interaction approach. Defined by Roter and Hall, this approach means the physician has most of the control in the treatment and care process. The patient is supposed to simply comply. In this process, the patient is passive and has limited-to-no knowledge of medical literacy.
However, this attitude shifted when scholars began to explore alternative models of patient-provider relationships. Patients began to actively participate in their medical decision-making processes with their healthcare providers during the 1980s.
By the late 90s, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changed the landscape by permitting advertisements for medications. Pharmaceutical companies began to advertise directly-to-consumers (DTC). Advertising about drugs and medical procedures significantly expanded patient control and understanding medical knowledge.
Furthering the expansions of consumerism, The Affordable Care Act (ACA) permitted individuals to compare and buy individual health insurance policies in a public marketplace.
With these changes, the patient-provider relationship dynamic shifted to a consumerist model interaction. This relationship focuses on patient-centred care, where the patient is active in treatment processes. Nearly all surveyed healthcare provider executives and chief marketing officers identified healthcare consumerism as a top priority for their companies.
Similarly, 70 per cent of patients favour this model of healthcare. They value the ability to compare pricing, access information easily and choose a provider based on their needs.
How We Interact With Healthcare Professionals
This recent consumerist model has its challenges. The patient is seen as responsible for their own healthcare and is the primary decision-maker in this interaction. Patient-provider relationships are based on legal responsibilities, rather than trust and care. This is detrimental to developing a positive patient-provider relationship and can affect a patient’s health outcome.
Miscommunication and frustration can arise in this interaction style. Patients may have strong opinions and little medical knowledge, making it tough for medical professionals to select the right treatment options and diagnosis. This can negatively impact the interaction and relationship.
Most patients have greater personal investment in their own well-being and treatments than their clinicians do. Therefore, they are willing to devote more time to proper determinations of diagnosis and treatment under the consumerist relationship.
Because private healthcare corporations and clinics focus on this style of patient-provider relation interaction, emphasising profits and gains, patients are seeing their healthcare provider less. Most primary care clinics are pay-per-visit to ensure that staff is being properly paid. Physicians wanting to increase their income can feel the pressure to see extra patients.
A lack of time with healthcare professionals has serious health implications for the patient. They may be misdiagnosed, resulting in poor health outcomes and low quality of care. With providers needing to meet profit margins and see many patients per day, they may experience clinician burnout. Physicians are overworked. Meanwhile, patients begin to lose trust in their provider as they feel their health concerns are not being addressed.
How Collaboration And Effective Communication Are Key
However, not all is lost within this dynamic. Patients and providers have opportunities to mend this diminishing relationship. It is still possible to ensure the patient is receiving positive health outcomes and relieving the provider of workplace burnout.
Since patients are better educated than before, there is an opportunity for physicians to communicate effectively. Studies show effective communication between physician-patient positively influences health outcomes. The patient is more likely to adhere to treatment plans and lessen stress for everyone.
Effective communication should include empathy, active listening, and the physician openly involving the patient in the decision making process. They should also take the time to further educate their patient.
As the commercialisation of the healthcare system continue to disrupt the patient and provider relationship, it’s important for both parties to participate in collaborative and effective communication. This can improve the patient health outcome and the patient-provider relationship.
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