I have noticed over the last few years that patients are starved for disease process education. Time and time again, I have heard "You have told me more in the last 15 minutes about my disease process than I have ever heard from my doctor!".
I think that the key to compliance is knowledge of the processes. Patients really want to get better for the most part. They need to understand how it all works in order to justify their compliance with treatments. Keeping the information simple helps them to see how their bodies work. I understand the need for speed when it comes to patient care due to the time contraints placed by the powers that be (insurance, DRG's and so forth) but if we take the time to educate, I feel that we will have a better relationship with our patients. Any thoughts on the matter?
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