The Catalyst Issue 27 | May 2017 | Page 17

might be a medication side effect. To address this and related communications issues between caregivers and patients, Baylor Scott & White Health has launched a communication skills course to help providers better communicate with their patients. The “Art of Communication” courses are a full- day, intensive program open to all clinicians who work with patients, including administrators, nurses, advanced practice providers, and physicians. Certified trainers from Baylor Scott & White help caregivers learn to ask open-ended questions about what concerns a patient has. Providers then learn to use that list of concerns to work with the patient to set an agenda for the visit so the most important concerns get addressed and no question gets left behind. Class participants also learn effective ways to express their empathy in response to a patient’s concerns before getting into problem-solving mode about health conditions. Empathy helps build a personal relationship between patients and providers, even if their time together might only be 15 minutes long. “Empathy helps relieve anxiety, which leads to better health outcomes. Our underlying theme is building relationships. It sounds warm and fuzzy, but it’s also very practical,” says Angie Hochhalter, vice president of Patient-Centered Care Redesign. “Empathy helps patients know they have been heard. It is also a way for providers to connect personally with their patients.” A study published by the Cleveland Clinic last year found that patients who saw healthcare providers with similar specialized training got more information from their visit, felt more confident about the visit, and had higher satisfaction with their providers than when they saw doctors who hadn’t been trained in this way. The study also showed that providers thought their patient visits were more effective after they completed the communications course. The training at Scott & White,” says Mike Reis, MD, chairman of the Baylor Scott & White Health Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Reis attended the class in fall 2016. “You leave the class with real tools you’ll be able to apply the next day at work.” Structured communication helps providers better know their patients and then tailor treatments to meet their needs. For example, a patient who wants to avoid medications will be less likely to take pills for high blood pressure every day. But if her healthcare provider knows this about her, he could suggest other changes to try first, such as sleep and exercise, that “Empathy helps relieve anxiety, which leads to better health outcomes. Our underlying theme is building relationships. It sounds warm and fuzzy, but it’s also very practical.” —Angie Hochhalter led to increases in their own levels of empathy and reduced the levels of burnout and emotional exhaustion that can sometimes plague providers. One physician’s experience “I will honestly tell you that I attended this class more out of curiosity to see what they were teaching. I left wishing I had been able to learn what they taught when I was a young new doctor will be a better fit for her health and life goals. The patient and doctor are more likely to leave that visit confident in their plan to manage her condition. It’s clear that effective communi- cations and building a rapport are important for a successful provider and patient relationship, and Baylor Scott & White Health caregivers are embracing this idea to make patients’ experiences better. n sw.org | Spring 17 THE CATALYST 17