IMCJ : Has the landscape of medical economics pushed patients out of the treatment conversation?
#NOBODY SAVES THE WORLD LONG DISTANCE MEDICINE TV#
They see messages on the TV all the time and they think that is the way to go. It is seen as something that is part of normal progression through your life. People are becoming accustomed to chronic illness. Another big reason is that Health Literacy, i the latest big national study, demonstrates that only 12% of patients are health literate. A typical encounter with a physician is 8 to 15 minutes, and if somebody walks in with 3 chronic conditions, how much do you think is going to happen in there? People do not know what questions to ask, and it is alarming. Karen Mercereau: One of the reasons that people have abdicated their role in the treatment conversation is because they don’t have time. IMCJ : What developments in medical practice have led to patients abdicating their role in the treatment conversation? An iRNPA is community based and may go into corporate wellness, may go into nutrition, or may do individual client work, either in the acute setting or in the chronic, and is trained to be very collaborative throughout the entire health care team. Education is the central tenet of everything that we do. Our mission statement is to advocate, educate, and guide people through the health care system.
It is an absolute requirement they all have gone through the University of Arizona–endorsed program, the RN Patient Advocate Learning Intensive, which is based upon systems biology and functional and integrative medicine. Karen Mercereau: An iRNPA is an experienced clinical nurse with a broad and varied clinical background, who is well schooled-not only in the medical model-but in functional and integrative medicine. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal ( IMCJ ): Please describe what an independent registered nurse patient advocate, or an iRNPA, is. The RN Patient Advocates Learning Intensive she developed supports this distinct area of practice, and her program at the University of Arizona is nationally known for preparing qualified RNs for this innovative practice model.
Recognized by the University of Arizona College of Nursing as a visionary leader in health care, Mercereau founded RN Patient Advocates in 2002. Karen Mercereau, rn, has been a clinical nurse for 48 years, also serving as an independent RN patient advocate (iRNPA) for the past 14 years.