The evolution of care: 3 key takeaways from a new survey of cardiologists, health leaders and CVD patients
Patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) base their overall satisfaction on much more than the actual treatment and/or intervention, according to a new report published by Abbott. In fact, communication-based factors—whether or not the patient feels heard and appreciated, for example—appear to guide patient satisfaction much more than any specific health-related outcomes.
The 18-page report, “Beyond Intervention: Enhancing Positive Outcomes for Patients,” is based on survey responses from more than 2,000 physicians, health leaders and patients. While 36% of respondents were cardiologists, 31% were primary care physicians and another 23% were internal medicine specialists. Among patient respondents, 49% presented with coronary artery disease and 44% presented with peripheral artery disease. Health leaders were primarily medical directors (24%), though they represented a wide range of positions found at both for-profit and not-for-profit institutions.
These findings represent just some of the biggest takeaways from the report:
1. How can hospitals and health systems improve patient satisfaction? Look beyond the treatment.
It’s not just patient outcomes—successful device implantation rates, for example—that guide how patients feel about their overall experience.
“Any pain points that occur during these interactions or moments influence a patient’s perception of the care they expect to receive, or have received, and can leave a lasting impression that shapes overall patient satisfaction,” the report’s authors wrote. Examples included in the report range from having questions answered when they are asked to experiencing unexpected costs while parking.
These findings, the authors noted, help highlight the importance of shared decision-making between patients and their physicians.
2. Multiple factors—including a lack of knowledge and costs—are keeping patients from adhering to physician recommendations.
At times, the report suggests, physicians may focus so much on outcomes that they fail to recognize key barriers that keep patients from following through with physician recommendations. Social determinants of health, for example, are known to hold some patients back from showing up for follow-up appointments or taking medications as recommended. The Abbott report confirmed as much—more than 40% of patients said managing the costs of treatment are challenging—and physicians and health leaders should keep these challenges in mind going forward.
The report also found that 57% of patients think their condition is “fixed” after treatment, a sentiment shared by just 33% of physicians. This shows that patients often lack a full understanding of their condition, which may make them more apt to skip a follow-up appointment or stop taking a certain medication when they “feel better.”
3. Patients appreciate newer digital tools such as patient portals and wearable devices—sometimes more than physicians
One of the most striking findings from the report was just how differently patients view certain aspects of modern healthcare. While nearly 60% of patients would trust artificial intelligence (AI) to help diagnose their condition and make treatment recommendations, that number is closer to 50% for healthcare leaders and 33% for physicians.
Patients are also more likely to find digital tools such as patient portals and even remote monitoring devices to be important. In addition, patients want these tools to get better and better, while physicians and healthcare leaders appear to agree that they are already satisfactory.
Healthcare leaders, meanwhile, appear to be more excited about the potential of big data than physicians.
Abbott’s authors wrote that healthcare leaders are “faced with the challenging task of balancing the needs of patients with those of an overburdened health workforce, all while managing increasingly tight budgets.” Getting more physicians trained on digital tools and adopting those tools so that they are used on a regular basis appears to be one way to help get all stakeholders on the same page.
“Increased penetration of smart devices, wearables and remote self-monitoring tools not only provide granular data on recovery, progress and adherence but critically drive patient engagement and therefore behavioral change,” Nick West, MD, chief medical officer and divisional vice president of medical affairs for Abbott’s vascular business, said in a prepared statement. “MedTech’s role is to find synergies between how patients and physicians prefer to access information to facilitate positive experiences and outcomes for all patients.”
The full report is available here.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.