Need For Personalized Care Plan For Effective Recovery From Illnesses
Exclusivity is the norm of the day. Take any field, customized and handpicked choices far outweigh the one-size fits all approach of erstwhile days. In healthcare, the need for introducing an individualized or personalized care plan always existed. Often the first needs of a recovering patient are more personal than clinical. Most often than not, an accident survivor should be more worried over when he can be back on the road again. While the conventional approach of Medical Science strived to serve people through a physician-led strategy, the personal needs of the patients are largely unheard of and neglected in the larger scheme of saving life. As enlightened consumers, people are today looking forward to become active participants in their own health.
Need for Personalized or Individualized Care Plan
The shift from provider-centered instruction to person-led engagement has paved way for the democratization of care. Personalized care plan gives greater emphasis on the patient, who is deemed as an expert in his/her own goals and requirements. The physician closely works with the patient and his family to determine the best care plan to achieve desired level of wellness and quality of life. Based on an individuals values and preferences, the care provider designs all aspects of his/her course of treatment and rehabilitation to support the health goals.
A care plan could be defined as a written record of the treatment protocols, actions and responsibilities to be considered while providing care to a patient. The conventional care plan which comprises of details in the likes of follow up visits, medication etc. doesn't include the personal goals of an individual. As a result, a person's wellness needs are not integrated into the overall course of treatment. Personalized care plan helps people achieve desired wellness outcome, empower them to be more active and responsible in taking care of them and improve the overall quality of care by reducing the pressure on health and social services.
Steps and Components of Personalized Care Plan
The following are some of the major components of a personalized care plan:
· Patients wield superior decision-making authority and will be offered with the choice to determine their course of treatment and rehabilitation plan.
· A holistic approach is taken to assess all aspects of a patient's challenges and requirements. The care plan will be prepared in a comprehensible format so that the patient stays on top of all developments and further steps of the treatment and rehabilitation.
· Family is included as an integral component of the care plan since their active involvement can inculcate warmth and comfort to the mode of rehabilitation plan and there by improve long term compliance..
· All therapies offered are flexible and easy to navigate as per the patient's coping abilities.
· A multidisciplinary team of skilled professionals including physicians, nurses, dietitians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists etc. work together to target all efforts of care for the complete benefit of the patient's specific and overall needs.
Although the patient is placed at the driver's seat, teamwork is the cornerstone of personalized care. Even the most motivated individual who has clearly defined idea of his recovery goals will still need an expert help. A care provider will therefore work closely with the patient to design a care plan that is customized to suit his requirements.
A personalized care plan is ideally implemented in these stages,
· A care manager will do a baseline assessment and brainstorm with the patient to identify his/her medical history, establish a positive relationship to understand needs, concerns etc. to identify and prioritize the recovery goals
· Not all goals laid out by an individual will be immediately attainable. In such cases, the care manager will break the long-term goal to smaller, complementary goals so that the patient stays motivated until the final destination
· Once goals are prioritized, established and documented, the care manager along with the multidisciplinary team of skilled care providers will discuss and offer a personalized care plan that could be once again modified in an approach as per the patient's requests.
· The progress and barriers of goals are continuously reviewed and modified in predetermined intervals to ensure the recovery journey is smooth and effective.
Personalized care is essentially consultative rather than clinician-dependent and thus, the voice of a patient is strengthened. With communication as the foundation of this integrated framework of care, the individual and the care manager connects all elements involved in care to foster superior recovery outcomes.
