Reaching for Excellence
Community Vision and Voices for Western New York Health Care
Western New York Health Care Priorities
PRIORITY
#3
Help Me Understand
Western New Yorkers say they need clear and comprehensible information to help them make better and more proactive decisions about their health.
"Educating the public is crucial...Our future health is in our hands."
Help Me Understand emerged as the third highest priority for the region, receiving mention in 70% of conversations.
What Western New Yorkers Want:
Western New Yorkers say they need clear and comprehensible information to help them make better and more proactive decisions about their health. More important than brochures and pamphlets are providers that can explain a condition in a way that relates to the patient, while listening carefully to their questions and concerns. Western New Yorkers also want more information, about their health status and progress, hospital procedures, test results and options for care. Information must be accurate and effective in crossing cultural, linguistic or educational barriers. Western New Yorkers also want more and better information about follow up procedures to help them effectively implement self care and health promotion.
Western New Yorkers addressed the following specific elements of Help Me Understand, listed in order of frequency of mention in community conversations.
- Develop educational programs and improve providers' ability to supply health information
- Improve provider communication skills, including listening and capacity to explain complex health issues, especially where language or cultural barriers exist
- Assist patients in obtaining follow-up care, including self care, by providing clear and accurate information
This health care priority ranked differently across certain populations in the region.
Rural Western New Yorkers were less likely to address the need for better provider communication skills and support for understanding and advocating for their health. A closer look at the subcomponents of this priority reveals further differences in perspective.
Conversations with predominantly low-income Western New Yorkers were more likely than others to discuss the importance of effective provider communication skills, but less likely to address the need for health education and information, suggesting perhaps greater comfort or reliance on verbal communication or even a lack of the time or resources required to attend educational programs.
"Care must be taken to extend education for lifestyle improvement."
"Communications between providers and payers MUST be more open."
"There is an urgent need to integrate a wellness approach to health care as opposed to a crisis intervention."
"Health promotion and disease prevention is the key to high quality, cost effective health care."
"We need health education for the young and the old."
