Patient And Family Engagement: A Framework For Understanding The Elements And Developing Interventions And Policies

Healthcare exists in a constantly evolving landscape, with new data, evidence, and knowledge emerging on a regular basis. At the current forefront is a focus on engaging patients at multiple levels, while also seeking to partner with family members when appropriate. While there are various definitions of patient engagement, all center around having a partnership with the many entities involved in care, including researchers, clinical staff, administration and even those making policy.

Emerging data shows improved outcomes for patients who take an active role in the continuum of care which includes prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This framework is a shift away from the more authoritarian approach that has marked earlier models of care. This proposed collaborative method, in order to be effective, must also keep in mind the complexities of the current system and its many constraints which include time, complicated reimbursement policies, and a costly system of health care which utilizes a wide variety of intermediaries to make decisions.

Change is often challenging, especially when it happens at the process, cultural, and structural levels. Despite the potential fear of the unknown, this article makes a compelling case that more engagement from those receiving care, along with their family members (who are also impacted as caregivers), will lead to better experiences, efficiency, and outcomes for all. 

Prescription Stimulant Medical and Nonmedical Use Among US Secondary School Students, 2005 to 2020

More than 3,000 secondary school students were surveyed to research the association and prevalence of nonmedical and medical use of stimulant ADHD medication. Self-administered surveys indicated a correlation between high rates of medical use and high rates of nonmedical use. Other risk facts included schools who had the following characteristics:

Participation in a recent prior study cohort
Parent population with higher educational levels
Located in the regions not in the Northeastern US
Located in a suburban area
Higher proportion of white students
Medium levels of binge drinking among students

The study reports a wide variation in rates of ADHD stimulant use across schools and suggests a need for increased substance misuse prevention efforts in those where there are high rates of prescription stimulant ADHD medication use.