Improving doctor-patient partnership means better outcomes

SALT LAKE CITY — People go to doctors because they want to improve overall health, as well as deal with specific concerns. But to get the most out of treatment, patients and doctors have to be on the same page. Too often there's a disconnect between the two.

Experts agree that the American healthcare system's focus is shifting increasingly to one that is outcome-based, with emphasis on preventing illness, rather than just treating patients once they're sick. Success will require a shift in how patients and doctors approach each other.

According to a recently released report, "A Fragile Nation in Poor Health," nearly half of adults had one or more of six chronic illnesses: heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, asthma, cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Half of Americans don't believe their personal health is very good and almost a fourth say they struggle to be healthy. At the same time, 83 percent say they don't follow treatment plans their doctors recommend. Surveyed physicians put that number even higher, at 95 percent, says the report, which was produced by TeleVox Software, which creates patient-engagement communications tools.

Other researchers have noted the same thing. When Consumer Reports surveyed nearly 700 doctors recently, the No. 1 complaint was failure by patients to follow medical advice and treatment recommendations.

Reasons for the lack of follow-through cited by TeleVox include not knowing enough about the condition or medication, side effects, feeling better and therefore not believing the treatment is still needed, or not being able to afford it.

Several studies have shown that when a medication is prescribed to be used over the long term, only 15 percent are still on it at the end of the year, but when patients receive prompts to remind them, even every 90 days, compliance jumps to 85 percent, said Scott Zimmerman, TeleVox president.

Both patients and physicians face barriers and contribute to the challenges of improving treatment outcomes, Dr. Jeffrey Cain, president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians, told the Deseret News. "There are a lot of reasons that outcomes may be different from what the patient or physician think should happen," he said.