How Patient-Centered Healthcare Helps You Be Your Own Best Advocate

Kenneth Gyan, ScreenNJ’s family health nurse practitioner, explains how a patient treatment provider can help you and your loved ones make informed decisions

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When it comes to your health, the person who knows your body best is you. Doctors are integral in helping you make educated decisions, and patient-centered healthcare is all about keeping you involved in every step of the process. Patient-centered care involves health care providers giving patients a full picture of what a treatment plan would look like, what screenings may be necessary, and the overall process while taking into consideration your knowledge, questions and plans. A healthcare provider works directly with you and your loved ones to determine how best to improve your health. We asked Kenneth Gyan, MSN, BSN, BS, a family health nurse practitioner with the “Lifesaver” Mobile Health Unit for ScreenNJ, about patient-centered care, how to advocate for yourself and what you should be asking your doctor to make sure you’re getting the best care possible.

New Jersey Family: What is patient-centered healthcare and why is it important?

Kenneth Gyan: The goal is to have the patient invest in their continuity of care to achieve an optimal level of health. Whether you have a chronic ailment like high blood pressure or diabetes or whether you’ve been recently diagnosed with a particular cancer type, healthcare providers want to have that patient’s involvement. Healthcare providers want the best for all of their patients, but if we cannot motivate or encourage our patients, outcomes may be less than desirable. Providers and patients have to be on one page and have to work not so much as patient/provider, provider/patient, but more so like collaborative partners in the quest for optimal health.

NJF: How can patients and their family members advocate for their care?

KG: Family is key, especially once it comes to a person diagnosed with cancer. This goes back to making sure everyone is well-informed and understands what state they may be in and what treatment options are available. It is our job as healthcare providers to be sure that the caregiver is also well-informed. When a patient comes in, I welcome a loved one who they confide in and trust and, with their permission, they stay in the exam room with me while I explain what is going on. By telling the patients and their loved ones what the next steps will be, the patient has support when they go home. They have encouragement, they have other resources. And I always encourage my patients to write down questions they or their family members have.

I feel that when you have a patient’s family member involved, they may ask a lot of questions because they care about their loved one. Through empathy, we as providers understand that they’re asking these questions because they want to know how they can better support their loved one. Family is going to ask questions and that’s never overboard or out of the norm. Family members are often resourceful, and I find that patients who have such supportive care do a lot better in the long run.

NJF: What are some questions the person or the family member should ask?

KG: Common questions would be:

–What screenings is my loved one eligible for?
–How do we schedule an appointment for those screenings?
–Will we have assistance in providing those screenings?
–When should we follow up for results?
–If it’s an abnormal result, what are the next steps?
–Are there more screenings or tests that need to be completed, and will we be referred to a specialist?
–If you are told you are diagnosed with cancer: how far has it spread, what stage am I in, and what are the options for treatment?
–Sometimes you may find patients who say: “Would it be okay for me to have a second opinion?” You want to be able to give them that autonomy to do so.
–We can also offer them information if they are interested in clinical trials.

When parents come in about a vaccine for their child, they should ask:
–How effective is this vaccine?
–How many dosages will my child have to receive from the vaccine?
–Are there any adverse or side effects from the vaccine?
–What does the literature say about how this vaccine works?

ScreenNJ is a statewide service that provides education about cancer prevention and detection to the community and professionals. ScreenNJ supports NJ residents to obtain cancer screening through navigation and mobile health services regardless of their ability to pay. For more information about ScreenNJ visit screennj.org.

NJF: What are the benefits of shared decision-making? And how can a patient come to those decisions?

KG: We can’t have patient-centered care if trust is not built with the provider. The patient has to know that their concerns are going to be heard, that their ideas are going to be heard, and that we can work together to obtain a shared health goal.

A lot of people may not use valid resources to seek out medical knowledge. We hear the term “Dr. Google” and know there’s some information on the internet that may be valid and some that may not be valid. You don’t want to strip away their opportunity to be knowledgeable about their condition, because with knowledge comes power, and the more you know, the more you’re able to be a part of this treatment plan and be on this path to wellness. When they come in, I don’t discourage them from researching, but I tell them, “These are some sources here that might not be valid to answer your question,” or “This may be valid, but let me show you why, from a medical standpoint, how this works.”

NJF: What makes sense in terms of patients making decisions, especially if they want something that differs from the opinion of their doctor?

KG: We oftentimes have patients who come in, and maybe they have done some research and learned about a particular treatment. We give them the opportunity and the platform to state whatever that treatment is. Then we discuss the pros and cons of that treatment. I find that when a patient trusts our practice, they tend to go along with whatever our recommendations are without any challenges.

Even though we are medical professionals, we listen and respond to our patients’ questions and concerns, because patients know their bodies better than we ever could.

Interested in learning more or getting screened but not sure where to start? Contact ScreenNJ patient navigators for free help scheduling your cancer screening regardless of your income or health insurance status. Email patientnavigation@cinj.rutgers.edu or call (833) 727-3665 or text SCREEN to 43386.

NJF: How do you connect with communities that may not have the same access to resources?

KG: Providing access to care for vulnerable populations that are at risk is one of our missions.

Lifesaver is ScreenNJ’s mobile health unit that provides cancer screening all over New Jersey. We consider ourselves to be system agnostic, meaning we can refer anyone to their preferred healthcare providers. We collaborate with churches, health fairs, organizations, and housing authorities to bring these resources to the communities regardless of barriers such as transportation issues, etc.

Thinking about screening for yourself or someone you love? Start by talking to your primary care doctor about screening options or contact ScreenNJ, a cancer prevention, screening, and early detection program brought to you by Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the NJ Department of Health, and healthcare and community organizations statewide. 

NJF: What is the overall message you would like to provide about patient-centered health care?

KG: I want to stress the importance of patient-centered care. When we’re dealing with patients, it’s not enough to operate alone when helping a patient achieve their optimal health. The patient needs to be a part of the discussion as t part of the decision-making process. That involvement means people are more inclined to follow through with healthcare choices.

We always want to make sure that when we’re with the patients, we are the medical providers, and we can work together to reach their health goals. Autonomy improves patient outcomes and ensures that we’re providing holistic approaches to every patient we see. Health decisions should always be a collaborative effort between providers and their patients.

On behalf of Screen New Jersey, we strive to go out to the community, touch our residents, heal our residents and our patients, and reduce the cancer burden while optimizing the lives of every person that we meet.


Kenneth A. Gyan
 was born in Newark, New Jersey, to parents of Ghanaian origin. Gyan completed his Bachelor of Science in Biology degree at Montclair State University in 2006. He completed his second Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) in 2009. Kenneth later joined Rutgers University in 2012 to pursue his Master of Nursing degree, and he is currently pursuing his doctoral studies at the same learning institution.

Gyan has had a protracted experience in healthcare, having worked for Mountainside Hospital in Montclair, in the Medical-Surgical Unit, and Morristown Memorial Hospital, Morristown, as a Registered Nurse caring for patients with traumatic orthopedic injuries and debilitating diseases. Also, while pursuing his Master’s degree, Gyan worked at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, where he was assigned to the Post-Anesthesia Care (PACU) unit and served as a charge nurse, overseeing three recovery room departments and 54 Registered Nurses. In 2019, he also served as the Lead Nurse Practitioner for the Department of Health and Community Wellness at Mary Eliza Mahoney Health Center for the City of Newark. Gyan currently works as the lead clinical provider for the ScreenNJ Mobile Health Unit program. In this role, he works with other clinicians, patient navigators, and community organizers to provide comprehensive and efficient cancer screening services to vulnerable communities and populations throughout New Jersey.

As a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Gyan received a District Director’s Capital Achievement award in 2019. He has been celebrated for his achievements in his field, being the recipient of Mount Sinai Hospital’s Magnet Nursing Award and a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society. Also, in 2021, Gyan received a Healthcare Heroes Award from the New Jersey Primary Care Association. In 2022, the city of Newark awarded him the Award of Excellent Nurse Practitioner by Mary Eliza Mahoney Health Center. Gyan remains dedicated and committed to his community, ensuring all who come into contact with him feel seen, heard, supported, and, most of all, that they matter.

 

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