Patient Advocacy in the Healthcare System
LOCATION: J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital
PRECEPTOR: Karen Clark, MD and Shanthi Manivannan, MD/PhD
DURATION: 2 weeks
OFFERED: Intermittently
MAXIMUM ENROLLMENT: 2
STATUS: Elective
OBJECTIVES:
Enhance ability to interact with patients compassionately and empathetically with a specific focus on holistic care management. Learn to identify common personal, social, financial, logistical, and medical barriers to patient discharge. Develop proficiency in managing transitions of care from the in-patient to the out patient setting. Demonstrate interprofessional collaboration to improve patient safety, outcomes, and safety performance. Understand the general structure of health insurance in the United States and the financial framework that clinics practice in. Understand the role of other healthcare professionals in the medical system.
Patient Care:
Advance their ability to interact with patients compassionately and empathetically with a specific focus on holistic care through supervised work with the Care Management team at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital. Identify common personal, social, financial, logistical, and medical barriers to patient discharge by working with the DOM transitions of care team (medical social workers, nurses, pharmacists and providers) in the transition care clinics.
Demonstrate proficiency in managing transitions of care from the in-patient to the out-patient setting through attendance at multidisciplinary complex care plan meetings.
Medical Knowledge:
Identify barriers to patient discharge, including medical considerations when discharging a patient with a complex care plan. Demonstrate collaboration by engaging a team of multidisciplinary professionals to review patients with complex care plans and high healthcare utilization. Identify patients with complex care considerations and coordinate transitions of care within a multidisciplinary team.
Practice-Based Learning:
Demonstrate collaboration with healthcare professionals from multiple disciplines to improve patient safety, outcomes, and safety performance. Demonstrate interprofessional teamwork in a way that enhances patient outcomes and satisfaction
Communication Skills:
Communicate with the patients to establish their narrative and identify concerns and challenges in navigating the healthcare system. Listen to other healthcare professionals and understand their role in the medical system and the unique challenges they may face. Communicate empathetically to perspectives that may differ from their own.
Professionalism:
Adhere to all professionalism standards set by the WVU School of Medicine at all times during this elective. Real-time feedback will be provided by the Interdisciplinary team.
Systems-Based Practice:
Describe the financial framework that clinics practice in and explain the role that patient advocates hold within the medical system. Identify the role of each profession within the healthcare system.
METHODS TO ACHIEVE OBJECTIVES:
Students will present patients at multidisciplinary complex care meetings and follow those patients through transitions of care during the discharge process. Care Management and/or PAS staff will provide real-time feedback on the student's presentation at this time.
EXAMINATION PROCEDURES AND EVALUATION CRITERIA:
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT:
Written feedback from faculty on assignments during the hybrid portion as well as written evaluations from other medical professionals will be provided throughout the elective.
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT:
Students will prepare a 10-15 minute presentation on common personal, social, financial, logistical, and medical complex care considerations. In this presentation, students will be expected to discuss strategies for managing these considerations during the discharge process. The presentation will be evaluated by the student's PAS preceptor during the final week of the elective.
PRIOR TO THE FIRST DAY OF THE ROTATION:
Contact Dr. Karen Clark, kclark@hsc.wvu.edu or Dr. Shanthi Manivannan, smanivannan@hsc.wvu.edu at least 2 weeks prior to the start date of the rotation.