Last week, I attended the 23rd Annual Population Health Colloquium in Philadelphia. The meeting involved high-level professionals who came together to figure out how to improve the population’s health. The sessions were engaging and thought-provoking. Unfortunately, I left with more questions than answers. Maybe this is rocket science!
Many speakers discussed Social Determinants of Health as one of the contributing factors to poor health in most of our large cities. One of the speakers said, “We don’t need more data on SDoH; we need to start finding ways to address the causes. Others talked about Justice, diversity, inclusion, and equity. A woman who was a Diversity and Inclusion specialist told me she spends time talking to doctors, nurses, and others to learn how to work together in a collaborative environment and to treat each other as they want to be treated.
In the exhibit hall, there was a focus on introducing new technologies to help doctors, residents, pharmacists, nurses, and all members of the healthcare teams do their work more efficiently and with better accuracy. There were also several tools to help improve communication and engage patients in their care.
Another discussed topic was the importance of prevention and well-being as essential to improving health and quality of life. Patient engagement was also stressed. We must involve the patient to see substantial changes in our healthcare system. We also have to talk about quality of life and how we will care for people as they age. Quality of life needs to be discussed early so people can decide on the type of care they want as they age. People also need to prepare and talk to their families about end of life so their wishes will be known when they can’t speak or advocate for themselves. Preparation cannot be stressed enough.
I left the conference with many thoughts and more confused than when I came in. The challenges our country faces might not be rocket science, but fixing them is hard work, and it will take each of us to do our part if we want a healthcare system and a country that is fair to all and treats everyone with the respect each of us wants.
Stay strong…the next few years are not going to be easy.
Thanks, Anne,
Your comments are what I see in the health care environment now as I care for my aging husband with his many medical and mental challenges. As I have heard many say, our country has NO health care system. We just have hard working care professionals all holding their fingers in a bulging dam that will eventually burst.
Until patients begin demanding a unified, comprehensive health care system, I fear this patchwork will continue for a long time. Sadly, we are reading the statistics that reflect this lack of care signified by our increasing levels of mortality in comparison to other countries.
I am not surprised that you and I’m sure many others left the conference with mixed feelings and much confusion. I believe that as long as we live in this world social issues will continue to have an adverse influence on social health; we are a multicultural society wherein a myriad of issues will continue to influence the decision making of patients and healthcare professionals. We must enhance our communication skills while continually assessing the needs and listening to the priorities of others. Global migration is at an all time high, especially in our cities and border communities. These migrants come with unforeseen disparities that will continue to challenge our health care system. For most access to housing and work are key influencers in assuring that people will accept needed care for themselves and their families. As a society we must keep an open mind and an open heart as we forge ahead for solutions to the ever growing issue of global migration- the world is on the “move” and people are risking everything to find their place in it.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Anne. I too am left confused. We have alot of work to do. You started a great industry of patient advocates who are determined to work on these hard issues! Nancy
Thank you for sharing it, Anne.