Empathy, advocacy, and human-centered care: Patients and experts discuss transforming healthcare experiences

Frustration among consumers

Marker is not alone in this experience. Sheaff says that 75% of frequent healthcare consumers are frustrated for many reasons-the most important of them being that the health system doesn't know who each patient is. Sheaff says that this data is consistent across different service lines and healthcare encounters.

"When you take a step outside of healthcare and look at any other industry-any other consumer interaction that we have-people say that being treated as a unique person is twice as important in healthcare than anything else," he says. "What we're trying to do is better understand. We know that is the key to treating people uniquely."

"I'm a mother, which severely impacts me," Marker says. "There are a lot of doctors who don't even know that. Diving deeper into the human connection is very important, because it helps foster trust from the beginning. Chronic pain definitely makes it difficult to navigate priorities, because if you don't take care of yourself, it's hard to take care of anyone else. It has had a big impact on my life. I wish more providers knew a little bit about my personal life and how that affects the illnesses and pain."

What patients and providers can do

Marker advocates that patients prepare for their appointments by writing down questions, keeping a symptom journal, joining support groups, and educating themselves about their symptoms and condition to advocate for their needs.

"A lot of people don't understand that advocating is a very important role in your healthcare journey," she says. "It's important to remember that you are the expert in your own body. If something doesn't feel right, don't be afraid to voice your concerns and fight for answers, because you know your body best."

Human Understanding for physicians centers around three main themes: connect with me, listen to me, and partner with me.

"Feeling seen and heard can take many different forms," Sheaff says. "These three key elements can fundamentally change how we deliver care, interact, and understand."

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