EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR COLLOBORATING WITH PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO ACHIEVE DESIRED HEALTH OUTCOMES

I’ve always believed that health care is a team sport and that the same can be said for care coordination. Care coordinators must be willing to adopt and implement effective strategies for successful collaboration with patients and their families. It is a wise strategy to promote effective communication and let patients and their families know they have a voice in matters that involve the care of the patient. This promotes patient autonomy and fosters a trusting relationship with the care coordination team and the patient. Patient-centered care coordination should be accompanied with patient-centered communication specific to the patient’s disease-specific and drug-specific queries. For example, let’s say a patient has questions on how to help manage their diabetes, the care coordinator must be able to provide information about the patient’s blood sugars and diabetic medication in a way that is fine tuned to the patient and promotes the patient’s ability to meet realistic goals about their diabetes management. Efficient collaboration and sharing of information with the patient will enhance the patient’s experience and increase the chance of better health outcomes