{"id":18591,"date":"2020-03-08T13:03:05","date_gmt":"2020-03-08T18:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=18591"},"modified":"2023-03-06T11:21:36","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T16:21:36","slug":"do-plus-ones-belong-in-the-exam-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/healthcare-trends\/do-plus-ones-belong-in-the-exam-room\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the Doctor&#8217;s Office the Right Place for a &#8216;Plus-One&#8217;?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When she broke her ankle, Kim Johnstone enlisted her husband\u2019s help to see a doctor. Initially it was for obvious reasons \u2014 driving solo was out of the question. But Johnstone also found his presence helpful in the exam room, where he became a second set of ears and a source of emotional ballast.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI was able to feel calmer knowing he would be there with me, and less anxious that I\u2019d forget to ask questions or remember information that the surgeon or nurses shared with me,\u201d says Johnstone, 40, a social media manager.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During doctor\u2019s appointments, Hailey Hudson\u2019s mom jogs her memory when her own recollection fails. But what Hudson appreciates most about having her mom by her side is the way it gives her the courage to find her voice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI might not feel comfortable asking a follow-up question, disagreeing with [doctors] on something or pushing back in any way,\u201d says Hudson, 21, who has multiple chronic illnesses. \u201cShe helps the communication flow more smoothly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bringing someone to a doctor\u2019s appointment is an informal practice that\u2019s been around for ages. In the medical literature, patients\u2019 plus-ones have variously been described as care partners, family supporters, visit companions, support persons and, more recently, health supporters.<\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some health supporters are trained in the role, but most are just friends or family members helping out. Their job is to be there for and with patients, not only when they need surgery (post-op escorts are often mandatory) but also during routine appointments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cSometimes people think they shouldn\u2019t bring someone unless there is a dire situation or an important decision to make,\u201d observes health-supporter researcher Dr. Ann-Marie Rosland,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. \u201cBut supporters can be helpful in any situation. Even the most routine healthcare can be pretty complicated these days.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Who uses health supporters?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While anecdotal evidence points to the longstanding popularity of these plus-ones, Rosland says researchers are just catching on to the trend. So far, most studies on health supporters have focused on their use among elderly patients or those with chronic illnesses. Last year, when Rosland and a research team examined how health supporters <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/30652911-diabetes-self-management-and-glycemic-control-the-role-of-autonomy-support-from-informal-health-supporters\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">affect patients with diabetes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, they linked supporter use with better management of glucose levels and higher levels of self-care among patients.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Surveys of people with chronic illness suggest that health supporters run the gamut, from parents and spouses to friends and roommates. As patients\u2019 health worsened, one <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1efK9lsyIacJsQmvBYasiwH-z3AFu2f8ZtrJ23d2iIog\/edit\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interesting study<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> found, plus-ones were less likely to be spouses and more likely to be friends or adult children. Study authors didn\u2019t try to explain why.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That same paper showed that nearly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamainternalmedicine\/fullarticle\/414353\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">40 percent of Medicare patients<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> routinely brought supporters to their medical visits. These patients rated their doctor\u2019s medical abilities, interpersonal skills and communication more favorably than those who went alone. This was especially true when the helper took an active role in talking with the doctor on the patient\u2019s behalf.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other research underscores the variety of ways in which patients make use of health supporters. These helpers help patients remember the medical symptoms they want to share with doctors, as well as the questions they want to ask during their initial visits. Afterward, supporters are around to rehash appointments and help patients remember medical advice.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Are doctors getting on board?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though research shows that health supporters can be hugely beneficial to patients, some doctors would rather they stay in the waiting room. Such resistance, experts suggest, might be tied to the dwindling amount of time doctors get to spend with patients, or concerns that health supporters could interfere with the doctor-patient bond. Some providers may also<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">have misplaced fears about privacy violations related to HIPAA, the 1996 federal privacy law that specifies what providers need to do to keep patients\u2019 health information safe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In response to HIPAA\u2019s passage, Rosland says, some healthcare systems \u201cwent overboard thinking that patients shouldn\u2019t bring others in the room.\u201d At this point, though, HIPAA\u2019s been the law of the land for more than two decades, and Rosland says attitudes regarding guests in the exam room are changing. Increasingly, both doctors and patients are acknowledging the benefits of shared care <\/span>and shared information in medicine<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Today, she adds, health supporters are also using patient portals on patients\u2019 behalf to access medical information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere is more recognition that the best healthcare requires a team approach,\u201d she says. \u201cThe best way to think about it is \u2019What are helpful roles for the supporter to play during the visit?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Do patient privacy laws apply?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HIPAA established boundaries for the use and dissemination of medical records and personal health information. Among other things, the law prohibits a doctor from sharing a patient\u2019s medical information without their consent. But if a patient shares their own medical information with someone else, HIPAA no longer applies, notes Margaret Riley, a professor of law and public health sciences at the University of Virginia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe individual controls their own privacy in this context, and it doesn&#8217;t have to be in writing. They can do it through their actions,\u201d she explains. \u201cThe moment they bring in a spouse or trusted companion [to the exam room], they\u2019re implicitly saying, \u2018I\u2019m waiving HIPAA.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though HIPAA doesn\u2019t preclude supporters from tagging along, some supporters say doctors make it hard for them to play an active role in patients\u2019 care. In <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29283613-family-members-experiences-supporting-adults-with-chronic-illness-a-national-survey\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">one national survey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of health supporters, conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, more than one-third of respondents said providers neglected to share information with them during visits, while about 20 percent said providers ignored their input.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Doctors aren\u2019t the only source of complaints for supporters. In the survey, more than half of respondents said they thought patients downplayed their health problems to doctors, while a smaller percentage felt that patients exaggerated their symptoms. They also reported bickering with patients over doctors\u2019 advice and feeling as though they didn\u2019t know enough about patients\u2019 conditions to be helpful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still, evidence over the years has linked social support by helpers to positive patient outcomes; most patients who invite supporters along find the extra help to be beneficial. A California Health Care Foundation report noted that more than 70 percent of chronically ill adults said they want more support, not less, from loved ones and friends in their healthcare.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Megan Lane\u2019s experience shows the difference a loved one can make in the exam room. The 29-year-old was worried that her primary care doctor wouldn\u2019t prescribe a medication she\u2019d been taking for anxiety and agoraphobia. So she brought her father to her appointment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Lane predicted, her doctor denied her request. Then her dad chimed in. Together, they explained just how important the prescription was to Lane\u2019s wellbeing. Having that backup in the room made all the difference. \u201cWorked like a charm,\u201d Lane says.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1 class=\"p2\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"s1\">Ready to book a doctor&#8217;s appointment? Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/\"><span class=\"s2\">Zocdoc.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A lot of patients are bringing &#8220;health supporters&#8221; into the exam room. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":18592,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[108],"class_list":["post-18591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare-trends","tag-doctors-and-patients","reviewer-dr-nassim-assefi","specialist_by_city-find-primary-care-physicians-near-you"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Is the Doctor&#039;s Office the Right Place for a &#039;Plus-One&#039;? - Healthcare Trends<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A lot of patients are bringing &quot;health supporters&quot; into the exam room.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/healthcare-trends\/do-plus-ones-belong-in-the-exam-room\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is the Doctor&#039;s Office the Right Place for a &#039;Plus-One&#039;? 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