Associate Professor Teresa Hagan Thomas, PhD, appeared on KDKA+’s ‘Intersections’ to discuss patient self-advocacy and how people can develop skills to improve their care.
“We’re really interested in what happens when you have a really serious illness being diagnosed. Often people can, in their normal life, be fully present, engaged, ask questions, build up a relationship, but what happens when you’re so sick that you just can’t do that,” Hagan Thomas told the program’s host, Lisa Smith. “It’s not easy. Plus, in a healthcare setting, there’s usually a power dynamic between the patient and the provider, making it all the more daunting to say, ‘Hey, I need something else,’ or ‘You’re not really understanding who I am or what I need.’
Hagan Thomas said her own experiences within her own family contributed to her desire to go to nursing school and into research.
“(I wanted) to figure out ways that we as healthcare providers and as communities can better support people when they’re diagnosed and throughout their treatment and into survivorship to really say, hey, this is who I am, these are my priorities and my values and give them the skills to make those needs known to their healthcare providers and their social network,” Hagan Thomas said.
Watch the interview here.