Dr. Vivien Brown

CONNECT recently hosted a virtual event featuring Dr. Vivien Brown, who is a family physician and assistant professor at the University of Toronto, as well as an author and advocate for women’s health and healthy aging.

We were excited to be joined by a wide array of national patient organizations to hear Dr. Brown talk about the evolution of patient-centred care. As a family physician, Dr. Brown sees every day how patient-centred care is changing patient-physician relationships, as well as the patient journey. Through her practice, she has a deep understanding of how patient needs and desires have changed, and potential strategies to help further engage the motivated patient.

Here are 5 key takeaways from Dr. Brown’s presentation.

1. There are several key components to patient-centred care, including, but certainly not limited to1:

  • Care that is based on need and not ability to pay
  • Care decisions that are made in partnership between informed patients and their providers
  • Care that is supported by current research and expert opinion

Ultimately, patient-centred care is care that’s driven by the specific health needs and desired outcomes of patients and their families/caregivers2.

2. Consumer technology has played a major role in the evolution of patient-centred care. The tools we adopt in our everyday consumer lives are driving an evolution cycle that ultimately changes patient expectations.

3. Patients are now participating in all stages of the therapeutic lifecycle. Their perspectives are being sought in clinical development programs, and they’re empowered to advocate for their right to new testing and treatment options. To help facilitate this increased participation, it’s imperative to provide the right information in a format they can digest3, 4.

4. COVID-19 is having a significant impact on healthcare management – especially for chronic conditions. Given that virtual care is likely here to stay, we need to develop the proper tools to optimize virtual appointments, facilitate communication between healthcare practitioners and patients, and account for individual needs.

5. There are many strategies that can be used to improve patient care and better align with evolving patient needs, including counseling tools, decision aids, patient-reported outcome measures, physician partnerships, and more.

As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve and attention is turned towards the patient experience, CONNECT is here to help. CONNECT supports collaboration between patients, healthcare professionals, industry, and stakeholders for better disease management using customizable tools.

Interested in learning more? Let’s connect.

 

  1. Montague et al. 2017. Healthcare Quarterly. Vol.20, 50-56
  2. NEJM Catalyst. 2017. Retrieved from https://catalyst.nejm.org/what-is-patient-centred-care/ Retrieved June 4, 2019
  3. Syneos Health. 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.syneoshealth.com/2019-health-trends. June 4, 2019
  4. Cornett S. Assessing and Addressing Health Literacy” OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in NursingVol. 2009 [cited 2020 Sep 24];14(3). Available from: http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol142009/No3Sept09/Assessing-He…1/131801870. Available from: http://ow.ly/1ZCc30nuw2a