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The Virtue and Value of Patient Empowerment and Health Literacy Amidst Healthcare Reform
Patient empowerment and health literacy are important and valuable attributes for both patients and healthcare providers in the current changing healthcare system which emphasizes improved healthcare quality, improved population health and reduced healthcare costs.

Patient empowerment is a key element of healthcare reform for the reason that it is the development of the opportunity to understand and participate in one's healthcare and health management to be able to bring about improvements in both while at exactly the same time reducing healthcare costs.

As how to change yahoo password -for-service healthcare provider reimbursement system happens to be along the way of transitioning from a volume-based system to a value-based one where the value-based parameters are quality of care and costs, patient empowerment and health literacy are valuable to both patients and healthcare providers.

Health literacy, that is the power of patients to comprehend health-related information and use that information to create informed decisions, has been well-recognized by many in the healthcare community as a valuable cofactor for the delivery of quality health care. The patient-related reason is that health literacy begets greater patient adherence to treatment instructions and better treatment outcomes. The provider-related reason is that the ability to make correct diagnoses and offer effective treatment are in large part dependant on the quality of the information provided by patients, regardless of all the diagnostic technology at our disposal.

The latter simple truth is supported by way of a study performed in the early 1990s where internal medicine physicians performed evaluations outside of the hospital on patients with undiagnosed medical problems then compared the rate of diagnostic accuracy of the three diagnostic modalities that physicians use, i.e., the individual history, physical examination and diagnostic testing. The analysis showed that of the three categories of information relied on the history alone resulted in the right diagnosis being made 76% of the time in comparison to accuracy rates of 12% and 11% when doctors relied on only the physical examination and diagnostic tests respectively.

Another study published within an August 2011 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association which compared the relative importance of the individual history, physical examination, and diagnostic tests showed conclusively that hospitalized patients in the analysis were accurately diagnosed most often when doctors relied on the history alone or the history with the physical examination findings and/or test results. Conversely, the analysis showed that whenever physicians relied on the physical exam or test results solely or in combination accurate diagnoses were made in only a small percentage of the patients.

The standard of healthcare received by patients is oftentimes determined to an excellent degree by the grade of the information they provide. Proficient health literacy usually results in more accurate and relevant information which translates into more accurate diagnoses along with timelier and more appropriate treatment.

Additionally, proficient health literacy resulting from patient empowerment reduces healthcare costs by decreasing overreliance on medical technology, unnecessary duplicate testing and costly errors resulting from actions predicated on incorrect or insufficient information.

As healthcare reform and healthcare payment reform continue steadily to evolve, the worthiness and need for patient empowerment are likely to increase. Therefore, patients and patients' caregivers should take the steps needed to acquire a amount of health literacy to assume the increased patient responsibility accompanying the forces of reform.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice or a substitute for medical consultation with a professional professional. When you are seeking legal services or are unsure about your medical condition you should consult an attorney and/or physician.

Victor E. Battles, M.D. is really a board-certified internist and founder of Proactive Health Outlet. For more info about patient empowerment also to access resources [http://www.proactivehealthoutlet.com/Resources.html] for improving health literacy visit www.proactivehealthoutlet.com
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