About the Expert:

Susan Frampton, Ph.D. is the President of Planetree International.

Technology & Humanism in Medicine

In terms of the future of patient-centered care and Planetree’s role in that, I think that it will be a challenge for us to look at the intersection of technology and the human touch and to not lose that human side of the care equation in this rush towards implementing more and more sophisticated technology.

There are some wonderful benefits that we have in store in terms of communications technology, in terms of artificial intelligence, but always we have to remember that at the center of the equation is a vulnerable human being with human needs and that we have to make sure that we find a way to bridge technology and those human needs.

Healthcare Professionals Role in Person Centered Care

I think that the role of healthcare workers, healthcare professionals, advocates, in person-centered care in the future as well as currently is essential. So, when we talk about patient and family engagement, we also are addressing staff engagement because the people that deliver that care, they’re also at the center of the equation.

That’s why we’ve moved from talking about patient-centered care to person-centered care because they’re also a part of the people that we have to make sure are supported, are engaged, and involved so that they can give their very best to the patients. But to do that, we have to make sure that they’re getting the support and the training that they need to do the very best that they can.

Empathy & Care Delivery

One of the things that all people can do is to listen and to be compassionate listeners. To approach other human beings with that openness to whatever their experience is. To understand that to try to meet other people where they’re at and not to make judgments about things. To try to be a little broader in the way that we approach other people so that again, we’re trying to put ourselves in their shoes to understand their experience, what their reality is.

It is a challenge because all of us have our own biases, whether we acknowledge them or not. We come from our own set of experiences and our background and our own, training or what have you. But I think when we come together, particularly in healthcare, we have to challenge ourselves to think more broadly, to be more open, and to be more compassionate listeners to the human beings that we’re trying to support.

Patient Empowerment Initatives

#Careboss in many ways encapsulates what the whole philosophy of person-centered care is, which is each of us has an opportunity to take more control of our healthcare, to be advocates for ourselves, for our families, for our communities, and Careboss is a way of kind of energizing people to understand, you don’t have to be a victim. You don’t have to be the person who sits passively, that we do have power.

We have expertise about our own lived experience, about our bodies, our own needs, and so it’s a movement to try to energize people to kind of take that power back to be the boss of their care. To the extent that they’re able to, where they’re comfortable too. And so we’re hoping that people will use that hashtag (#careboss) to share their experiences. To maybe give us their thoughts and perspectives about what it means to be in a space of more accountability for your own life, yourself, and what role you want to have in your own healthcare.