16th July 2024
Table of Contents
Healthcare professionals cannot alone achieve the shift to patient-centered medicine
More and more patients are increasingly spending more time of their journey outside the hospital. However, there is a lack of adequate patient support and services that offer them assistance where and when they need it most.
Shifting to a patient-centered healthcare model means a necessary and urgent change in the healthcare system. As we know, the hospital model has remained practically unchanged for the last 100 years. This underscores a troubling reality. Despite technological and scientific advances, hospitals' structure and approach remain anchored in an outdated paradigm that prioritizes disease over the well-being of the whole patient.
Historically, hospitals have focused on treating specific diseases with a fragmented, intervention-oriented approach rather than prevention. This model has effectively addressed medical emergencies and acute conditions, but in a world where chronic diseases are on the rise and personalized care is becoming more relevant, this approach falls frankly short.
“This is happening worldwide,” said Dr. Armando Garduño, Palliative Care and Quality of Life Support Area Head from the Instituto Nacional de Pediatría (INP) in Mexico City. “Healthcare is very mechanized; it focuses on the disease of the patient. There is still a lot of progress to be made all over the world.”
The traditional hospital model is often rigid and lacks adaptability. Standardized rooms, strict and inviolable schedules, and an inscrutable medical hierarchy often exclude patients from important decisions. Although these aspects have worked in the past, they are inadequate to meet today's public health challenges.
“The health system must be strengthened, with more support for primary care, more prevention, and more resources to treat chronic diseases such as cancer; nothing should be missing. Patient and family-centered care is a strategy to ensure that care is comprehensive and that the patient is seen as a person, subject to rights, as a human being, not just as a disease, and naturally in the family, especially in pediatrics,” said Dr. Armando.
Need for change: Patient-centered medicine
The aging population and increased incidence and prevalence of chronic and non-communicable diseases have increased the need for lifelong and/or costly specialty medications, leading to a greater need for specialized healthcare with personalized access to care and treatment, as a significant portion of the patient journey happens outside the hospitals.
For the past 25 years, Axios International has been working to build a sustainable access ecosystem to fill these gaps in the space outside the hospital and improve patient health and medical outcomes. Using sustainable access solutions carefully curated around patient journeys, the Axios team leverages a broad, trusted network of stakeholder relationships.
Valeriia Mykolaienko, Regional Operations Lead at Axios International, said: “At Axios, we put the patient at the center of everything we do, and that is why our access solutions go beyond the hospitals to reach patients where they are. We work with local stakeholders in the market and bring global expertise to ensure that patients get the right medication at the right time without having to make huge sacrifices to pay for this type of treatment that their treating clinic has prescribed. Our focus is on end-to-end access to treatment. Otherwise, the patient will not be able to get the full medical benefit from their treatment.”
“This approach improves the quality of care, increases patient satisfaction, and improves long-term health outcomes. Patient-centered medicine promotes collaboration between patients and healthcare professionals, ensuring that medical decisions are informed and shared.
And we do this by creating personalized treatment plans that consider everyone’s unique needs, preferences, and circumstances. This comprehensive approach considers the patient's medical condition in social, emotional, and economic contexts. In this way, it seeks to offer more holistic and effective care”, she said. According to a study published in the Journal of Participatory Medicine, patients actively involved in their health care have better health outcomes and, therefore, greater satisfaction during their day. Axios provides 360-degree patient support in all partnered access programs we set up and manage, from access to diagnosis to treatment and maximized adherence solutions.
This holistic approach improves the quality of care, increases patient satisfaction, and improves long-term health outcomes. Most importantly, patient-centered medicine is achieved through successful collaboration between patients and healthcare professionals, ensuring that medical decisions are informed and shared.
Investments needed for transformation
Investing in technologies facilitating communication and information access is crucial to achieving this transformation. Digital platforms that allow patients to access their medical records, communicate with their doctors, and manage their appointments contribute to greater patient empowerment.
It is also essential to train health professionals in interpersonal skills and empathy, which are often the "Achilles heel" of many doctors. However, healthcare providers must be knowledgeable in technical skills and the ability to listen to and understand patients' concerns and wishes. Empathy and effective communication are key components to establishing a trusting and collaborative relationship with the patient. Keeping these factors in mind, Axios has developed Axios+, which provides integrated patient support with an all-in-one digital health solution. Axios+ is designed to enable and complement such physician-patient, patient-caregiver, and patient-pharmacist relationships. It is the first and only full suite of digital solutions designed to improve patient access and adherence to treatment.
Technologies like Axios+ are enablers. Public policies should support this transition by financing health technologies, promoting continuing education for health professionals, and implementing standards encouraging patient-centered care.
Towards a future of holistic care
The transition to patient-centered medicine is more than a trend; it is imperative for adapting the health system to the demands of the 21st century.
The care of the future must be comprehensive, considering all aspects of the patient's life and not just their illness. Such change requires a concerted effort and a long-term vision.
Therefore, it is important to recognize and emphasize that patient well-being does not depend only on medical treatments but on holistic care that includes prevention, education, and emotional support. Patient-centered medicine is an imperative in healthcare and a move towards a more equitable and compassionate society where everyone receives the care they need and deserve.
Modern medicine must evolve towards a model that puts the patient at the center of all decisions and processes and facilitates the management of patients with chronic diseases outside the hospitals to relieve the burden on patients and their families, providers, and payers. All stakeholders in the health system should work together to bring about this change. The healthcare system can move toward a healthier, more humane future for all with a renewed, patient-centered approach.
