In this assignment I have chosen to write about something we`ve learned is an important part of treatment and rehabilitation, which is patient education. More specifically I would like to talk about pain education as an important tool for healthcare professionals when it comes to explaining to the patient what has happened to them, and what the road to recovery will look like.
The picture in it self is just and example of how a physiotherapist could use an extern source as a way of teaching a patient about the structures in the body that might be causing them pain. After that we could for example explain how physical exercise could be used as a treatment to strengthen these structures to better help them withstand the load they are exposed to.
I believe that most of the time when a patient seeks out the opinion of an educated professional, it is not just to get a “quick-fix” and then leave as if that will solve all their problems. Especially for patients with long-lasting pain problematics, getting an understanding of why this is happening to them and learning what they can do to improve their quality of life and get back to the activities that are important to them will ensure that we uphold the patient’s autonomy. This is important because when a patient feels like they are not being listened to, it effects the patient-therapeutic alliance which ultimately may lead to a non-successful treatment (1). It is also a national strategy that focuses on efficacy, safety, efficiency, patient-centered care, care coordination and equality in access to health care which is a crucial part of our system (2).
The greatest reason for health loss in Norway and most of the western countries is long-lasting pain the musculoskeletal system (3,4). Giving the patients pain education a long side other resources may lead to an increase in their self-efficacy, which in term could increase their ability to recognize their own condition and effect the cognitive, behavioral and emotional aspects of maintaining a satisfying life quality (5).
I believe that for a patient to feel like they`ve had a positive experience when meeting with the healthcare system, and in this instance a physiotherapist, our ability to communicate and educate them is and will be an extremely important part of how we meet them where they are. Hopefully they will feel like a part of system that focuses on helping them understand and acknowledge their own resources, rather than just wanting to get on to the next patient and be done with it!
References:
1. Eide, H., & Eide, T. (2017). Kommunikasjon i
relasjoner – personorientering, samhandling, etikk. Oslo: Gyldendal akademisk.
2. https://international.commonwealthfund.org/countries/norway/
3. Folkehelseinstituttet: Sykdomsbyrde i Norge 1990-2013. In., vol. 1; 2016.
4. Vos T, Flaxman AD, Naghavi M, Lozano R, Michaud C, Ezzati M, Shibuya K, Salomon JA, Abdalla S, Aboyans V et al: Years lived with disability (YLDs) for 1160 sequelae of 289 diseases and injuries 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet 2012, 380(9859):2163-2196.
5. Barlow J, Wright C, Sheasby J, Turner A, Hainsworth J: Self-management approaches for people with chronic conditions: a review. Patient Educ Couns 2002, 48(2):177-187.
One thought on “Røisgaard, Lars – The more you know”
Hi Lars Halvor
First of all, thank you for giving me an insight in the system of Norway. I am sad to hear that most of the patients from western countries and Norway are suffering from a long-lasting pain on their musculatural systems, that could be bad for patients because they will try to find other ways to bear that pain and that might lead to disability and incorrect posture. Do you think the pain musculatural system is a good representation for most of patient’s problem in Norway and other Western countries, because with your picture I think that would be the best suggestion to help patients to at least be given little bit of understanding of the anatomy.
I like how you include the patient’s feeling, because this assignment was all about the patient’s feeling about the health system. Your writting made me see clinical practice with another point of view, because if you do not know your anatomy it hard to get to know the origin of the pain especially of muscles. Your claims have the evidence of which is a good thing and most of your claims seem to be logic since they are recent studies or journals. Your argument is so convincing, with your evidence.
Good referencing, but please check the years if you have been instructed to use APA style of referencing, your references makes me trust your evidence because they are recent studies 2017 etc. The only thing you can check it the years .
Spelling errors are there, but there are few and I think because this is a formal assignment maybe there should be no abbreviations for instance don’t, if it can be do not or they’ve to they have.
Your point of view reminds me of the patient we had on our first placement, she told us about this pain that has lead her to bend her back in order to bear the pain. If this patient, somehow had some information about her long lasting musculatal pain the bending of the back was not going to happen. Please explain how patents feel about the outcome of not being educated about the landmarks and try to give valid examples maybe by link or something.
Good luck with your final draft.
Best regards
Mcebisi