Cultivating Wellness and Curbing Costs: A Systematic Paradigm for Enhancing The U.S. Healthcare System through Patient Education

Each year, Americans spend increasingly significant amounts of money on healthcare costs. The American Medical Association estimates that U.S. healthcare spending grew 2.7 percent in 2021, reaching $4.3 trillion or 18.3% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. Despite these statistics, healthcare quality and accessibility remain problematic. Many approaches have been suggested and implemented in response to these major shortcomings. Some of these remedies have included the proliferation of mid-tier healthcare providers such as nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants to alleviate the strain on doctors. However, there is sufficient evidence that patient education can critically impact the efficacy of the healthcare system and merits serious consideration for better patient outcomes and potentially reducing healthcare costs. This paper describes challenges and opportunities to patient education based on extensive research and practical insights from various disciplines. Furthermore, this paper sets forth recommendations for promoting a comprehensive, cohesive, and evolving patient education framework.