State of patient education in our healthcare system is a depressing reality

A certain individual is brought to the emergency room. His electrocardiography (ECG) shows his heart is failing. He is put on ventilator support and life-saving drugs. Sensing the emergency, the cardiologist places a cardiac pacemaker after getting the required approvals in this urgent situation.

Once this individual recovers, he now has the focus to understand what happened. He is shocked as he had never heard of a pacemaker before, and how the device operates.

As the pain medications now start to wear off, the patient is increasingly curious and worried as to what one can or cannot do.

Will I be able to lead a normal life anymore? Will I be able to drive? Can I use a smartphone for too long? Can I sleep with my phone close to my chest?

All valid queries.

While he is trying to formulate his questions, the doctor assesses and orders the staff to discharge him for his respective follow-up visits to the clinic.

The staff informs him of the discharge and politely tells him to note any questions he has and to ask the doctor when he comes to the (Out-Patient Department) OPD.

However, when he gets to the OPD, he sees dozens of patients queued up. When his turns comes, the doctor and staff quickly check his pacemaker and operation site.

When finished, he quickly runs through a checklist, and asks him to visit after 3 months. The doctor quickly shifts focus to the next patient.

More confused than before, this person leaves the clinic, not sure if he is supposed to drive his car home or not. The answer - unbeknownst to him - is he can.

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This brings us to a vital element of healthcare — patient education being the cornerstone of treatment success.

As a doctor, I strongly believe that when a patient fully understands and acknowledges his ailment, the better his ability to live a normal life and avoid unnecessary suffering to oneself and for their loved ones.

Patient education involves different stages of recovery and should include all angles of treatment such as nursing, nutrition, physical rehabilitation, medications and much more.

In reality, however, what I see is quite the opposite.

Patients do not readily accept they need to follow their physician’s orders meticulously. Attendants add to this by not sharing too much contextual and medical information as they do not want to worry their loved ones.

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Here, any doctor has a key role to play. They should try to reach out individually to patients in order to communicate the disease and its management strategies.

This is achieved through building trust and ensuring patient benefits are at the crux of all these efforts.

For example in this patient’s case, a permanent pacemaker means a lifetime of follow-ups.

I still see patients who end up with unnecessary complications because they were never told anything about living with and taking care of a pacemaker. Sometimes this has dire consequences.

Many social media platforms provide free medical education by professors, senior and junior doctors, some of whom are themselves an authority in their disciplines. But sometimes, misinformation also proves to be detrimental to patients.

The need for support groups for every ailment is the dire need of the hour.

Instead of placing the entire burden on medical professionals, the society should provide infrastructure to enable the growth of a support group culture.

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Karachi, as a metropolitan city of 15 million people, is inhabited people from all backgrounds and geographical regions.

One of the largest cardiovascular hospitals in the city caters to not only Karachi and Sindh, but people from all provinces. This can also create language barriers. Doctors and staff from across the country help bridge this barrier, to an extent.

Educating the patient in a language they understand better is crucial in this scenario. But it is rarely the case.

In order for adequate patientcare to be provided, a lot of barriers need to be overcome. But by identifying that an issue exists, and creating awareness on the barriers, we have made a start.

The article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Business Recorder or its owners