Creating a pathway for passive patients to become effective patients: A skill-building strategy for patient activation

This presentation will explore how an evidence-based educational strategy can build the capacity of traditionally passive and disengaged patients to participate more effectively in their healthcare, advocate for themselves and partner with health care providers. Participants will examine how the teaching of two skills – the ability to ask question and the ability to focus effectively on decisions – can be integrated into existing healthcare services. The ability to ask questions and focus on decisions are two deceptively simple skills. They could be seen as just two among many skills and abilities patients could use to participate more effectively in their health care. These are, however, two foundational skills that can complement and enhance existing efforts to promote greater patient activation. Participants in the session will have the opportunity to review the evolution of the Right Question-Effective Patient Strategy and distinguish this approach from more traditional efforts to motivate patients, provide them with information or even offer a list of pre-determined questions. We will explain how our direct experiences with Medicaid-funded services as well as on-going educational and research work in many fields and communities inform the strategy. Participants will be introduced to all the essential steps that comprise the core methodology of the Right Question Effective Patient Strategy. The session will also provide examples of how the strategy produces significant cognitive, affective, and behavioral changes in patients, and has proven to be particularly effective for increasing patient activation in low-income communities.