Patient Demographics Continuing to Change

Physicians spend a lot of time training for their profession. Between undergraduate studies, medical school, residency and preparing for licensure exams, physicians spend well in excess of a decade learning their craft. But successful organizations know that learning and development are never-ending pursuits. So even with this heavy front-loading of education, healthcare providers should strive to encourage meaningful continued education for the physicians working with them. 

Providers Need People Knowledge 

This doesn't just mean learning about new advances in medicine and technology. It also means continuing to think about ways to better engage with patients—and better understand their unique needs. This is particularly important as the demographics of patient populations continue to change. 

Consider these findings from the Population Reference Bureau: 

• "Between 2017 and 2060, the share of the older population that is non-Hispanic white is projected to drop by 22 percentage points, from 77 percent to 55 percent."
• "A substantial health gap separates Asian Americans and non-Hispanic whites from Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans, who tend to fare worse on a range of health indicators." 

Healthcare organizations, physicians and other providers need to be increasingly aware of the different needs and health profiles of the increasingly diverse populations they serve. Again, this means that providers may need to take a different view of knowledge and experience they've had for decades. 

Patient Populations Have Different Needs 

An article from NPR's Morning Edition provides an excellent example: rashes. The piece notes that rashes, "are problems for people of all colors, and they don't always look red on dark skin. They can look kind of purple or may barely show up at all. And when doctors haven't seen examples on darker skin, they may not be able to give an accurate diagnosis." The article goes on to note that, more generally, materials used to train physicians have traditionally focused primarily on white males—including everything from images in textbooks to CPR dummies. 

When people of color have been featured, it's often specific to conditions that disproportionately affect those groups. Efforts are being made to diversify these materials, but that doesn't necessarily help those already practicing who may have completed most of their formal training decades ago. 

The American population is becoming increasingly diverse, including older populations who heavily rely on the healthcare system. Providers and physicians need to place an emphasis on continuing education with a diversity component, not only for the quality of the care their provide but also to ensure they can adequately meet the demands of an increasingly consumer-oriented healthcare market.

About Us:

Trust...the healthcare marketer who has been in your shoes! Jean Hitchcock has spent more than 25 years at some of the nation’s most respected health systems. As a healthcare marketing and communication leader, she understands your competing priorities. Your strained resources. The pressure to differentiate your services and distinguish your brand. All amid seismic changes in our healthcare system. You’re busy. We can help.