Digital innovations like the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission offer hope for improving communication and fostering patient autonomy in healthcare decisions
In the evolving landscape of healthcare, patient satisfaction and engagement as equal partners in their care journey have become pivotal. The quality of the patient experience—how well they feel cared for—greatly influences their perception of healthcare services. Many countries, such as the United Kingdom and Australia, have recognised this and introduced standards that emphasize active patient involvement to improve care outcomes. Shared decision-making (SDM) has gained significant global traction as a means to promote patient autonomy and foster truly patient-centered care.
Promoting Patient Autonomy: Shared decision-making is a collaborative
process where patients and healthcare professionals work together to make informed decisions about treatment plans. This collaboration spans various aspects, from immediate treatment needs to long-term care plans, such as advance care planning. Healthcare providers play a crucial role in facilitating this process by offering clear information and supporting patient deliberation, empowering individuals to make decisions based on their preferences, values, and informed consent.
Engaging patients in the decision-making process is essential to improving healthcare outcomes and experiences. When patients are confident and well-informed, they are more likely to choose treatments that align with their personal beliefs and preferences. This also increases health literacy, leading to better long-term decisions and greater satisfaction. Active patient participation can result in faster recovery times, reduced anxiety, and improved adherence to treatment plans. Patients who are actively involved in their care tend to have better outcomes, including improved overall well-being and quicker recovery from illness or surgery.
Moreover, patients who feel respected and valued in the decision-making process tend to develop stronger relationships with their healthcare providers. This trust benefits both the patient and the provider, often leading to better treatment outcomes and reducing the risk of medical litigation. In today’s healthcare environment, where patient-centered care is increasingly prioritized, the active participation of patients is key to achieving meaningful and lasting improvements. From a business perspective, higher patient satisfaction can lead to more returning patients, better reviews, and an increase in foot traffic for healthcare providers.
Challenges of Patient Engagement in India:
In India, the desire for more patient involvement in healthcare decisions is growing, but significant barriers remain. Many patients report feeling inadequately informed about treatment plans even after consenting to surgery, often seeking external sources of information. A study conducted at a tertiary hospital revealed that although all patients were aware of their diagnosis, less than one-third knew about the risks of their treatment or alternative options. Consequently, many sought answers outside their treating doctor, demonstrating a gap in communication between patients and providers.
Patient involvement in treatment decisions is largely limited to high-end healthcare institutions such as tertiary care centers, academic hospitals, or high-cost therapies. Overworked clinical staff in India often lack the time to engage patients meaningfully in the decision-making process.
Leveraging Digital Solutions for Better Patient Care: Digital technologies offer significant hope for improving patient engagement. These innovations enhance patient deliberation, promote self-responsibility, and strengthen patient-provider interactions. For resource-limited, overburdened healthcare systems like India’s, digital solutions can save clinicians’ time while boosting patient engagement, making them especially suitable for low-resource environments.
India’s Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) aims to create an interoperable ecosystem that engages all healthcare stakeholders, providing tools to promote patient autonomy and facilitate patient-centered care.
The convergence of global discourse, national policies, rising patient demand for participation, and available digital solutions presents an excellent opportunity to mainstream this approach across India.
One of the significant ways digital solutions enhance patient engagement is by providing patients with access to comprehensive health records. When patients have control over their health information, they can make better-informed decisions, improving their involvement in the care process. For clinicians, access to long-term records enables more personalized treatment options.
Through the ABDM, patient records are linked by a unique 14-digit Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), ensuring that all health data—from diagnostics to treatment histories—are stored in one place. This enables providers to help patients make informed decisions based on accurate, comprehensive histories, while patients can participate actively by accessing their records at any time.
(The writer is Founder & Director - Ujala Cygnus Healthcare Services; views are personal)
