Top 5 Takeaways of Person-Centred Care in Diabetes
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Dr Neelesh Bhandari
Dr Neelesh Bhandari is a medical graduate from Armed Forces Medical college (Pune) and a postgraduate in Pathology from RNT Medical college (Udaipur). He has worked in many central and state government hospitals as well as private hospitals across India for 12 years. He has been actively working in the patient engagement space for chronic disorders since 2015.
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Person-centred care in diabetes takes into consideration patients’ needs, worries and emotions while creating the future road map for treatment. To attain an in-depth understanding of this concept, Fitterfly, in collaboration with the Voice of Healthcare, conducted a detailed discussion on this topic revolving around its ideation to implementation in our webinar on 26th February 2023.
Dr. Sanjay Kalra (Endocrinologist at Bharti Hospital, Karnal and President-Elect, South Asian Federation of Endocrine Societies) and Dr. KVS Harikumar (Senior Endocrinologist at Magna Clinics, Hyderabad and Hon. Secretary, Endocrine Society of India) led the discussion, while Dr. Neelesh Bhandari, Vice President-Physician Partnership, Fitterfly, moderated the event to ensure a seamless flow of thoughts.
Here are the top 5 takeaways from the webinar:
1. Meaning of Person-Centred Care in Diabetes
Dr. Sanjay Kalra started the webinar by introducing the concept of person-centred care in diabetes. He said, “Person-centred care means you are caring for an individual, and you are keeping that person in the centre of all duties.”
(Dr Sanjay Kalra, Endocrinologist, Karnal)
Dr. KVS Harikumar also supported his views by continuing, “Diabetes doesn’t come for management. It is the patient with diabetes who comes for management.” The physician needs to give utmost importance to the likes and dislikes of patients and define a treatment goal where they will be equal partners throughout the journey. This way, the patient can attain the maximum benefits of the medication and other diabetes-control regimes.
(Dr KVS Harikumar, Endocrinologist, Hyderabad)
2. Understanding the Biopsychosocial Model is Crucial for Person-Centred Care
Physicians should keep in mind the Biopsychosocial model of health while implementing the practice of patient-centric care. The Biopsychosocial model was first advocated by George Libman Engel in 1977. According to this approach, physicians should consider not only patients’ medical conditions but also their psychological and social attributes while prescribing treatments. Doctors should give adequate importance to psychological distress, ongoing coping method and family circumstances while designing the road map for treatment.
3. National Recommendations for Psychosocial Management of Diabetes
In the paper titled National Recommendations: Psychosocial Management of Diabetes in India (Dr Sanjay Kalra et al) in the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, evidence- and experience-based Indian guidelines for the psychosocial management of diabetes have been laid out. In this study, the top five attributes of diabetes care professionals have been summarised as CARES:
- C = Confident competence
- A = Authentic accessibility
- R = Reciprocal respect
- E = Expressive empathy
- S = Straightforward simplicity
4. Partnering Patients in Therapy
It was recommended that physicians and patients should be equal partners in the journey of diabetes therapy. If both of them do not comply with each other, then it would be challenging to attain the expected outcome of diabetes management. A humble approach from doctors in listening to patients’ pain points can motivate them to take ownership of the treatment plan and deliver better results.
If a patient refuses to follow the doctor’s advice, then the responsibility of the physician magnifies, as he needs to explain the benefits of abiding by the treatment plan along with the expected outcomes to motivate the patient to partner the treatment.
5. Prioritising Patients’ concerns
In person-centred care, doctors should first understand patients’ personal pain points and prioritise their concerns while recommending therapy. It is crucial to remain human, humane and humble to gain better insights into patients’ concerns.
Dr. Harikumar highlighted this concept by saying we need to understand “what exactly led the patient to the clinic for advice is the prime thing we should look at. There may be many other things (concern) which are there; however, that is not bothering him/her.” Physicians should align their goals to match patients’ preferences to derive maximum outcomes from the treatment.
These were some of the interesting outcomes of the Person-Centred Care in Diabetes webinar held on 26th February 2023.
Watch the video –
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This blog provides general information for educational and informational purposes only and shouldn't be seen as professional advice.
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