Enhancing Patient Engagement Throughout the Course of Care
Presented by Craig Phifer
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Nonfinancial: Craig Phifer is an assistant managing editor for Impact Magazine and lecturer at the University of Evansville. He has no competing nonfinancial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.
We currently have a good understanding of the importance of patients taking an active role and being engaged in their own health. However, very few courses address specifically how we help patients go from being historically passive healthcare consumers to being actively engaged in their health. Through this intermediate-level course, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and athletic trainers will develop an understanding of the importance of patient engagement and garner concrete communication strategies to achieve it. The additional benefit to our profession and healthcare is that patients who are more engaged in healthy behaviors are more likely to opt for active treatments, like physical therapy, versus passive treatments, like surgery and pain medication.
Meet your instructor
Craig Phifer
Craig is an owner and the CEO of Rehabilitation & Performance Institute, a private practice with offices in Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Craig believes that high-quality personalized care, professional flexibility, and profits can all exist together. He recognizes this approach empowers both therapists and patients. Craig…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Introduction to Patient Engagement
Patient engagement is a broad term and includes dynamic and relational concepts. The benefits of improving engagement are far-reaching and significant. Therefore, it is important that therapists understand the impact of this material on their patients and start to develop a framework to assess where patients are in their engagement journeys.
2. Patient Engagement in the Dependence Phase
Every phase of engagement brings unique opportunities and challenges for our patients. When in the dependence phase, our patients are frequently scared and overwhelmed and, as a result, may not be compliant. It’s important that therapists modify treatment and communication strategies in order to meet patients where they are mentally and emotionally in this stage and help lead patients to higher levels of confidence and independence.
3. Patient Engagement in the Empowerment Phase
In the empowerment phase of engagement, patients are becoming more positive and confident. Arriving at this stage allows therapists the opportunity to bring patients into more of an active role in their care and help them become more engaged in their health.
4. Patient Engagement in the Self-Determination Phase
Patients in the self-determination phase are the most independent, which brings unique challenges and opportunities. It’s important that we ask patients questions that help them assess what they want from their health and prepare them for what’s next when they have completed their course of care. In addition, communicating well with our patients in this phase will be valuable in creating a community of healthier, more engaged individuals.
5. Patient Engagement: Team Strategies
As we add members to the patient’s healthcare team, the high-level communication becomes even more valuable. Therapists need to consider the role of the patient and the family environment in order to maximize the patient's ability to make behavioral change. We also need to communicate information about patient engagement within our own team so that we know not only what to do with a patient, but the context in which we need to deliver those services as well.
More courses in this series
Understanding Therapeutic Alliance and Patient Expectations
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Building Therapeutic Alliance in the Patient Evaluation
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Enhancing Patient Engagement Throughout the Course of Care
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