The New Empowered Patient: Impact and Future of Patient Centric Healthcare

During this episode we talk about ‘the new, empowered patient’. Because, just like the trend towards more citizen and consumer participation, we also want to be able to ‘have our say’ in healthcare. We increasingly expect participation and involvement. This switch from patient to partner will determine the future of our healthcare.

It is a positive development that after twenty years the rights and laws regarding patients have been updated. These changes enable the patient to play a more active role in their treatment and the overall care plan, says Willy Cnops, life science advisor at pharmaceutical umbrella organization Pharma.be. “The patient must be better informed. Educational programs, information initiatives and awareness campaigns contribute to this, but it is essential that patients become assertive and dare to speak out.”

Cnops notes that progress has been made, for example with bodies such as the Patient Expert Center, which trains patients to take charge of their own health. “These initiatives focus on the future and contribute to the pursuit of preventive care. Prevention is better than cure,” he adds, emphasizing the importance of patients being proactively involved in their healthcare.

The impact of patient centricity

So the patient wants to have a say and be involved, but does that also improve his treatment? What is the impact of more patient involvement on healthcare, and more broadly, on society? We can look at this at different levels, says Mitchell Silva, founder of the medical platform Esperity. “However, the individual level is important. So when we involve the patient more, we notice that he has better health literacy. The better informed the patient is, the better he will take his medication.”

The future of patient centricity

In the future, there will be more personalized medication, such as cell and gene therapy. Patient participation is crucial from the start, says Cnops. “It would be a nice idea from the government to draw up a kind of plan for each disease. This way the patient also knows where he is in that plan and what he can actually do.”

What if in x number of years we feel sick, or are really sick, and we enter a doctor’s office or hospital. What will healthcare provision look like? According to Dina De Haeck, CEO of the digital platform Medicheck, this will be characterized by a shift towards more personalized care. During medical checks, she sees doctors no longer just judging someone’s ability to work, but rather being involved in drawing up a tailor-made treatment plan.

“I envision a setting in which it is determined that when someone cannot perform his or her job 100 percent, but can, for example, do it part-time or in another temporary role.” According to De Haeck, such an approach would make a valuable contribution. It allows people to stay active and maintain their self-esteem. “That is the best medicine,” says De Haeck.

Would you like to delve deeper into this subject and know exactly what it is all about, what can be gained, and what steps still need to be taken? Then listen or watch the full episode on us Spotify– of YouTube-channel.

2023-12-08 11:05:28
#Patient #centricity #patient #partner #healthcare