The Importance of Open Communication in Patient Care: Kelly Papesh, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC

WATCH TIME: 4 minutes

“It’s a really important pearl to remember: dedicate your time, give them your active listening, and that’s how you’re going to build that trust and rapport with your patients.”

Clinicians asking patients the right questions in the clinical setting can provide them with more relevant information about their patients’ disease states, such as concerns on treatment or symptoms, and enhance their health outcomes. In a recent, short anonymous survey, patients stated that they withheld certain symptoms or experiences of a movement disorder from their clinician; however a majority of them noted that disclosing these could be helpful for addressing their needs.¹ Challenges such as limited office visit time, communication barriers, increasingly complex symptoms, polypharmacy, and patient discomfort were among the many reasons for why patients may withhold details from their providers.

Recently, at the 3rd Annual Advanced Therapeutics in Movement and Related Disorders (ATMRD) Congress, held by the PMD Alliance from June 22-25, 2024, Kelly Papesh, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, and colleagues held a panel discussion comprised of patients and care partners to talk about their experiences with effective communication in the clinic and the impact of treatment on their disease. In the discussion, Papesh and the other speakers spoke on how clinicians can more effectively prompt their patients for the information they may need to better assist them in care and how to offer patients a safer space to share those details. Moreover, the speakers in the panel shared alternative methods for patients to document and provide data for their providers.

During the Congress, Papesh, executive director of the Association of Movement Disorder Advanced Practice Providers (AMDAPP), sat down with NeurologyLive^® in an interview to further discuss how healthcare providers can create a safe and comfortable space for patients to share their concerns. Papesh, who also serves as a nurse practitioner and the clinical director at PMD Alliance, talked about the challenges in addressing non-motor symptoms or hidden features in patient care, and how these can be mitigated. Furthermore, she spoke about how cultural sensitivity, language barriers, and gender preferences can impact patient-provider communication, and how shared strategies that can improve this interaction.

Click here for more coverage of ATMRD 2024.

REFERENCES
1. Mitchell A, Papesh K, Pagan F, Torres-Yaghi Y, Zeilman P. Lips Sealed: What Your Patients Aren’t Telling You. Presented at: ATMRD; June 22-25, 2024; Washington, DC.