I pretty much hated school. From day one of kindergarten (yes, I remember it) until the end of my professional education, there was nothing about school that I liked. It goes to wonder then, that if I hated it so much, why did I voluntarily continue to go for so many years after high school?
Part of my personality includes not being able to tolerate very well being told what to do. I figured the longer I went to school, the better my chances were to be able to get a job where there was more freedom. Another part of school I didn’t like very much was anything to do with research. While I understood the importance of research, I wanted very little to do with it because of all the statistics involved in research.
I realized recently what else I didn’t like about research, and it comes down to the whole “control” issue that I have. Too much research appears to be very self-serving, especially in the area of health research. The researchers take full control over the studies and, as such, results are often too biased in favour of what the research designers are often wanting to see. The public as research subjects, and even as patients, have historically had little control over the direction of their healthcare. But hopefully that is changing.
There is some new terminology in health care and research in Canada that shows change may be on the horizon. Patient Oriented Research, Patient Engagement, Patient-Centred Outcome Research, and Community-Action Research is the direction that some Canadian health care policy advisors and policy makers are looking to take. This contrasts the traditional doctor-centred and researcher-centred model of health care policy and delivery.
The June 2019 Report from the Canadian Pain Task Force stresses the importance of patient engagement and that people living with chronic pain be equal partners in pain research and management. Chronic pain has morphed into a legitimate disease state that affects 20 per cent of Canadians. Lack of patient involvement and control may have contributed to the current problems with chronic pain management and possibly have contributed to the opioid epidemic that exists today.
A recent review of the effects of patient engagement reveal an improved patient’s experience of care, better patient outcomes and potential health care cost savings.
Whether it is chronic pain, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis or any other affliction, an engaged patient results in a better-informed patient. Health care teams should include the patient at the forefront.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
