New study examines the attitudes of healthcare professionals regarding Lead patients
Therese Scott Duncan, postdoc at the Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, is in a new study investigating how Lead Patients self-care has been received by healthcare professionals. The study, ”Empowered patients and informal caregivers as partners? A survey study of healthcare professionals’ perceptions”, is published in BMC Health Services Research.
What are the most important findings of your study?
- Healthcare professionals that responded to the survey, perceived empowered patients and informal caregivers as positive, and they had to some extent experience of learning new knowledge from these patients and informal caregivers. However, few respondents stated that these experiences of knowledge were regularly followed up at their workplace. Potentially negative consequences were increased inequality and additional workload, and a positive aspect was the large engagement in the development of the clinical workplaces of empowered patients and informal caregivers. Even though few had experiences of such engagement and considered it difficult to be achieved, says Therese Scott Duncan.
Why are the results important?
- The overall positive attitudes of healthcare professionals are fundamental prerequisites to the transition of the healthcare system recognizing empowered patients and informal caregivers as partners. This could lead to increased patient participation to reach a system being developed from a user perspective. Here empowered patients and informal caregivers can lead the way to build a healthcare system that will support all patients and informal caregivers, says Therese.
How can your study contribute to the treatment and care of patients?
- To be included in the development of health care as patients and informal caregivers, will lead to increased control over their own health and care. As well as to be closer to their patients will lead to healthcare professionals being able to perform better health care, says Therese.