Initiatives to define a patient-centred research agenda

Glòria Galvez
 

By Society of Hospital Medicine

Despite the strong impact that the results of clinical research have on the health and quality of life of patients, the contributions they make remain anecdotal and do not go beyond participating as passive subjects in clinical trials. This, together with the practice of opportunistic strategies such as calling patients at the last moment to give their impressions of their participation, makes it necessary to move towards a new model of biomedical research in which, in addition to carrying out pharmacological studies, it seeks to respond to unresolved questions that would undoubtedly improve the patient experience.

Humanism and literature in every area of healthcare

Marco Inzitari
 

Oliver Sack

Luckily, the person is regaining a central role in health care and his/hers perceptions, experiences and values are gaining importance at all levels: care, research and management. This is especially important in addressing the complex health and social issues with which we are increasingly surrounded.

Why is the integration of services not encouraged?

Jordi Varela
Editor

 

@varelalaf

Health and social services are fragmented between various institutions, levels of care and a lot of specialities and each one of the fractions of the system provides a service that makes sense in itself, such as a three-hour weekly service of a family worker for lending a hand at the home of an elderly person who lives alone, or angioplasty intervention for a woman who has just suffered a myocardial infarction and, according to this system, funders pay differently for each activity.

A new recipe for teamwork in primary care

Jordi Varela
Editor

 

Primary care teams in Spain are under pressure from the schedules of daily visits, which sends multidisciplinary teamwork to the background. To understand each other, the sessions are held whenever possible and the level of attendance and participation is often irregular, given that nothing encourages them. The core aspect of a primary care centre today is that each doctor and each nurse is assigned a contingent of citizens -presumed to be patients-, who, when requested, must be attended to as soon as possible.

Empathy training

Andrés Fontalba
 

Communication is the most important skill for healthcare professionals. Efficient communication occurs when the therapist feels sure that he or she has listened to and registered the user's needs and, thanks to this, can provide personalized attention. Empathy is the ability to perceive, understand and share the feelings, thoughts and emotions of others, based on the recognition of the other as a person similar to ourselves, with a mind of their own. Both parties benefit from this empathy, and patients who experience empathy during their treatment obtain better results and greater chances of recovery. In turn, professionals with higher levels of empathy work more efficiently and productively and express greater satisfaction with their professional development.