What is patient engagement and why is it important for individuals with chronic wounds?
Engaged patients are the patients we would all like to be – informed, involved and motivated participants in our own care. For individuals suffering with chronic wounds, where treatment is ongoing, this approach may be particularly valuable.
Why is patient engagement important?
The World Health Organization sees patient engagement as ‘an integral aspect of health care and a critical component of safe, people-centred services’.1 The potential benefits of patient engagement include:
- a more positive patient experience overall
- increased patient involvement, which may increase compliance with mutually agreed care plans
In chronic wound management, increased patient engagement can mean better adherence to treatment plans, fewer complications and a more effective healing process.
The impact on the wider health community over time is also likely to be positive. Patient experiences can be fed back into future research and care improvements and patient priorities can help shape and direct future resource use.
How do you foster patient engagement?
As a healthcare professional, how can you ensure patients feel both empowered and supported when they are suffering with chronic wounds such as venous leg ulcers (VLUs) or diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs)?
There are some key skills and behaviours that can help, including:
- empathy
- patient advocacy
- talking and listening skills
- ability to deal with individuals who may display challenging behaviour
When developing a care plan, it is vital to use these skills to involve the patient. You can do this by, for example, discussing treatment options at a time and place and in a way that will make it easy for them to understand and retain important information.
When considering dressing selection, always discuss the patient’s priorities and any lifestyle factors that may affect their choice of dressing.
Including patients and their caregivers in the treatment plan is a key aspect of a holistic care approach. This collaboration helps patients better understand their care, leading to improved clinical outcomes and greater patient satisfaction.
In Wound Care For All, we have collected some useful, patient-centric resources that you can use to help engage your patients in their care. You might also want to show patients our article on How to look after your wound.
You can learn more about patient engagement in the care of chronic wounds in Optimising wound care through patient engagement, a consensus document from the World Union of Healing Societies (WUWHS), supported by an education grant from Mölnlycke among others.
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References
- World Health Organization (2016) Patient engagement: Technical series on safer primary care.
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