Challenges and systemic changes required in healthcare to train both patients and professionals for successful patient partnership and reduction of adverse events

Healthcare in the United States is changing. It is moving from seeing patients as consumers to treating them as partners. This means patients are more involved in their care instead of just receiving it. When patients take part in their care, health results get better and fewer problems happen. But to make this change, healthcare groups need to face big challenges and make system-wide changes. They especially need to train both patients and healthcare workers. This article talks about these challenges, needed changes, and how technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and workflow automation can help.

The Evolving Role of Patients in Modern Healthcare

A big change is happening in how patients are involved in their healthcare. According to the Wolters Kluwer 2025 Future Ready Healthcare Report, 70% of healthcare organizations see they must change how they work with patients. Patients are no longer just people choosing providers. They now work alongside healthcare teams to help make decisions.

Patients want personal, easy-to-use, and affordable choices. Data from McKinsey Consumer Health Surveys (2022-2023) show that 44% of patients look up providers before making appointments, and 58% care more about their health than they did last year. These facts show that patients want to take part in making health choices. Healthcare systems need to notice this and teach patients how to take on their new roles.

Challenges in Training Patients and Professionals

Even with this move to partnership, many problems remain in training patients and healthcare workers to work as a team.

• Patient Health Literacy and Engagement:
  Not all patients know enough or feel confident to join in health choices. Health knowledge varies a lot, and some patients find medical words or plans hard to understand. Healthcare groups must create clear education that fits different learning levels to help patients understand their health and care options.
• Professional Resistance and Skill Gaps:
  Some healthcare workers may feel ready to change, or they may not want to change how they work. They often have little training on how to talk in ways that include patients. Healthcare workers need lessons on listening, sharing information clearly, and using patient feedback in decisions. This needs cultural changes and formal training programs.
• System and Workflow Limitations:
  Healthcare processes are often made for doctors and nurses, not for including patients. Electronic health record (EHR) systems might not have patient education tools or ways to work with patients as partners. The organization may not give enough time or resources for patient teaching.
• Institutional and Leadership Commitment:
  Leaders must support the changes by making patient partnership a priority and checking engagement results. Wolters Kluwer says 64% of healthcare groups feel pressure from leaders to show real improvements in patient engagement. Without strong support, training programs might not get enough funding or attention.
• Varied Patient Needs and Preferences:
  Patients are different in how much they want or can take part. Some like face-to-face visits more, while others prefer telehealth or messaging. Training and systems should be flexible to fit these different needs and ways to connect.

Systemic Changes for Effective Patient-Professional Training and Partnership

Healthcare groups need to make many system-wide changes to meet these challenges and support patient partnership.

1. Establish Patient Education as a Core Institutional Function

Patient education should move from informal talks to a formal, built-in part of care. Standard programs about specific diseases, medicine use, and healthy habits can help patients learn and manage their own health better.

Wolters Kluwer’s UpToDate Enterprise Edition is an example. It combines clinical support with patient education. When added to EHR systems like Epic and portals like MyChart, it helps doctors give correct and easy information that fits each patient during visits or remotely.

2. Train Healthcare Professionals in Patient Engagement Skills

Healthcare workers need coaching on how to communicate and make shared decisions with patients. Training should include practice, workshops, and feedback systems to build skills in involving patients. Providers must learn to explain things simply, respect patient choices, and encourage questions.

Leaders should encourage these skills by including them in professional development and performance reviews. Without this focus, providers might go back to older ways where the doctor just tells patients what to do.

3. Redesign Clinical Workflows to Include Patient Participation

Workflows and electronic systems should change to support patient partnership. Adding educational materials, reminders for patient questions, and tools to record patient choices helps teamwork. Automation can send follow-up reminders and handle documentation, giving clinicians more time to talk with patients.

Healthcare groups also need to make time and space for patient-provider talks, both in person and online. Care teams, including nurses, pharmacists, and social workers, should work together on patient education for clearer communication.

4. Implement Leadership and Organizational Support for Partnership Initiatives

Leaders must clearly support policies that focus on patient partnership. They should define and report on performance goals about patient engagement. Providing enough staff time and tech help shows real commitment.

Setting clear goals that fit the group’s values can help get everyone working on partnership. Wolters Kluwer’s report shows many leaders now focus on proving engagement improvements, which makes this even more important.

5. Adopt Flexible Care Modalities and Communication Channels

Patients want options like virtual visits, phone calls, and in-person meetings based on what suits them and their health needs. Training should teach patients when and how to use each option. Staff also need training to handle these options smoothly and keep communication clear.

Investing in patient-friendly technology is important. It should be easy to use for all, including older adults and people with disabilities. Training materials should come in many forms like videos, printed sheets, and online lessons.

AI and Workflow Automation in Patient Partnership and Reducing Adverse Events

Technology helps make patient partnership better and lowers problems in care. AI and workflow automation can fix some training and communication troubles, making care more efficient and steady.

AI-Powered Education and Decision Support

AI tools inside EHR systems can give patients education tailored to their condition, language, and how they learn best. This helps patients get right, evidence-based information at the right time during care.

Also, AI helps clinicians by checking data to find risks and suggest treatment steps. Better-informed doctors and nurses explain risks and care plans better, including patients when deciding on safety.

Automated Communication and Follow-up

Automation can handle follow-ups through calls, texts, or portal messages. For example, it can remind patients to take medicine, schedule visits, or watch symptoms without extra work for providers.

These systems also gather feedback and symptom reports between visits, alerting providers if health worsens or if there’s confusion. This keeps care smoother and cuts down problems.

Front-Office Automation to Enhance Patient Interaction

Many calls come into healthcare offices, which can cause delays. AI-based phone systems, like Simbo AI’s answering service, improve patient communication before and after appointments.

Using language processing and voice recognition, these systems answer common questions, schedule visits, and share education 24/7. This lets staff focus on harder tasks and makes it easier for patients to get help.

Data Analytics for Continuous Improvement

AI tools analyze patient engagement and adverse event data to find trends and spots needing work. With this, groups can adjust training and resources to help patients who need the most.

Leaders and care teams get clear feedback on how well partnership efforts work, meeting the need to show results.

Tailoring Strategies for U.S. Medical Practice Administrators, Owners, and IT Managers

People who run medical practices in the U.S. must adjust to changing patient needs quickly. They need to put system changes into action with the resources, rules, and patient expectations they have.

Practice administrators help coordinate staff training, set budgets for patient education, and use AI tools like Simbo AI to lower paperwork work. Knowing that 44% of patients look up providers first means patient experience starts with first contact.

Practice owners should support a culture that values patient partnership. They must make sure doctors keep learning how to communicate and that digital tools for patient contact are used.

IT managers set up and keep systems that mix EHRs, education tools, and AI-driven automation. To support many ways patients want to communicate, IT teams must ensure secure and easy-to-use tech that follows laws like HIPAA.

Together, these leaders can guide their practices to care that focuses on patients. This helps improve health results and meet demands for clear, real engagement.

Summary

The U.S. healthcare system faces problems in fully including patients as partners in care. Problems come from limited health knowledge, skill gaps in professionals, inefficient workflows, leadership priorities, and different patient needs. Fixing these needs big changes in education, workflows, leadership support, and flexible care.

AI and workflow automation tools, especially those for patient communication and clinical help, offer useful support. Using these tools, medical practices can better involve patients, improve safety, and lower care problems—goals that match today’s healthcare needs.