The Crucial Role of a Patient’s Advocacy in Medical Education
In the intricate dance of healthcare, there's a partner often overlooked: the patient. Under the bright fluorescent lights of the hospital and out of the cacophony of beeps emanating from various monitors must emerge the humanity of this dance, prompted by the patient's voice. As I have begun to embark on my journey as a medical student, all too often, I find myself pouring over hours of lecture slides or practicing physical exam maneuvers on friends or standardized patients without moments to consider the individual on the other side of the stethoscope.
The concept of patient advocacy transcends the confines of hospital wards and clinic rooms; it embodies the very essence of patient-centered care. When patients advocate for themselves, they become active participants in their healthcare journey, steering the course of treatment with their insights, concerns, and preferences. For medical students, this represents an invaluable opportunity to witness the human face of illness, beyond the confines of medical charts and diagnostic tests.
At the heart of patient advocacy lies the power of storytelling. Through my undergraduate and medical degrees, I have been able to witness the power of these stories. Each patient brings with them a unique narrative, woven from the threads of personal experiences, cultural backgrounds, and socioeconomic circumstances that would have been impossible to elicit from a 15-minute medical visit. When patients advocate for themselves, they offer medical students a window into their world—a world shaped by triumphs and tribulations, hopes and fears – and how their medical condition has come to shape it.
Moreover, patients who advocate for themselves serve as educators in their own right, offering insights that textbooks cannot impart. They provide students with firsthand accounts of the challenges they face in navigating the healthcare system, from insurance hurdles to communication barriers to the incredible amounts of time dedicated to managing their health condition on top of jobs, families and other commitments. Only by sharing their perspectives have I been able to see the bigger picture and to understand the true cost of illness and the challenges in accessing medical care in Alberta.
Various programs throughout the country connect patient mentors with students like myself and my colleagues, providing me with some of the most valuable experiences I have had throughout my short medical journey. As a male medical student, I would have never had an understanding of the pain brought on by endometriosis, never grasped that someone’s opinion may be discounted for the simple fact they are a woman, never put thought into the fact that while I may be seeing a person for the first time in the clinic, it may represent one of many visits they had only this week… and that does not account for the life that people had to put on hold to get there and sit in a waiting room for hours.
Similarly, some individuals, medical experts in their own conditions, have also come to enrich our learning through these same small glimpses into their lives. It is not Jon who presents with syncope secondary to aortic stenosis, it is Jon who can no longer go on hikes with his wife and kids like he did every Christmas. It is not Mary who is prescribed hemodialysis for renal failure, it is Mary who now needs to dedicate more than 15 hours a week to dialysis on top of her job, her kids and caring for her ailing brother.
However, this journey towards patient empowerment and student learning is not without its challenges. In many healthcare settings, patients continue to grapple with barriers to effective advocacy, ranging from systemic inequalities to cultural norms. Language barriers, limited health literacy, and power differentials between patients and providers often serve as impediments to effective communication and collaboration. In a similar sense, the immense value of the learning experiences myself and my colleagues have gained was through the sacrifice of so many wonderful individuals who are incredibly open about their stories and providing a glimpse into their daily realities and their emotional challenges. But it is also through these experiences that we, as medical students, are able to learn of individual factors which may act as barriers to future communication and collaboration with others.
Undoubtedly, it is essential for medical educators and helathcare institutions to create environments which foster this empowerment and experience, but it also involves incredible individuals to step forward and provide these moments for others. As we strive towards a healthcare landscape that is truly inclusive, equitable and works for all of us, let us shine the surgical lights on the lives of those with whom our healthcare system dances.
