The Importance of the Patient's Perspective

Many will argue that the most important aspect of medical care is the knowledge and training the physician possesses; however others believe that the patient’s perspective on the care being received is more important. With approximately 100,000 to 200,000 deaths occurring from medical errors each year, patients and their families take a significant risk in the health care system when they seek treatment from a hospital or doctor. Trust is a defining element in an interpersonal relationship, but it is particularly central to the patient-physician relationship. Without trust in the physician and other medical staff providing care, the patient may not be fully willing to participate and cooperate in the medical treatment they would need.

In the event of an adverse medical event, the patient is the best determinant as to whether or not such an event has occurred. The patient is the one being served by medical professionals, and is the one who can account for the amount of pain being felt, the symptoms they have experienced, or effects of the treatment they are currently receiving. All of this information, along with laboratory and radiology reports, is critical to the physician’s final diagnosis. However, many times the patient’s voice is absent in the discussions about how to improve health care. Sometimes patients are too ill or lack the resources to take an active role in improving their health care quality. Patients and families then rely on the information of the physicians and other medical staff to ensure that information is properly relayed.

Patients and their families deserve to have a central role in improving healthcare quality. Informing healthcare professionals of any adverse medical events or medical errors, the patient’s experiences can be used by doctors and hospitals to help inform their quality improvement efforts.



References:
Pearson, Steven D., and Raeke, Lisa H. (2000). Patients’ trust in physicians: Many theories, few measures, and little data. Society of General Internal Medicine. Boston, MA.