Put patients in the center of healthcare

Patients must become experts on their own health so they can be involved in decisions about their health, while also taking part in designing healthcare.

Disruptive technologies are leading to huge structural changes in the traditional healthcare
system. 
For thousands of years, only physicians have been able to acquire and access medical data and
make medical decisions. This “ivory tower” of medicine was built on the firm knowledge that physicians know best
what’s good for the patient, and can’t benefit from patient input. Patients were just the subjects of healthcare,
not partners. Today, health innovation allows patients almost the same opportunities as physicians, but they’re not
yet equipped to use it responsibly. For the sake of both, physicians must learn to work with patients and treat them
as equal partners, while patients must assume more responsibility for their health. This new equilibrium will lead
to improved effectiveness and motivation for patients to better managing of their condition.

E-patient Dave with this doctor, Dr. Danny Sand

“It’s time for a social movement. We have enough evidence now. It’s time to get in action to create
change.” E-Patient Dave deBronkart

Access to health data has leveled the playing field, arming patients to make informed decisions about their
health.
More health information is available via Google and crowdsourcing through social media
communities than even the most trained physicians possess. Thanks to direct to consumer genomics and sophisticated
health trackers, patients can acquire more detailed data than their clinicians. Patients are finding new ways to
take advantage of this data. Doug Kanter measured every aspect of his life relevant to his diabetes. He realized
that his average blood sugar levels became lower due to self-management. Other patients will follow, and they are
sure to get more encouragement. Studies show that involving patients in medical decisions brings greater clinical
benefits and decreases costs – something that regulators looking to keep runaway healthcare costs in check are sure
to pick up on.

Doug Kanter recorded vital signs and data related to his diabetes management for over a year in order to improve his condition.

But before patients can take control, medicine and health technology need to accommodate them.
Current digital health technology like health trackers provides raw data that needs the expertise of trained
physicians to be actionable. Instead of raw data, innovators should be focusing on helping patients make decisions
about lifestyle. Even more important is that though vast amounts of information are available online, much of it is
biased or faulty. Patients searching online can as easily stumble upon pseudo-scientific rambling as find helpful
resources. Without proper training, it’s often hard to distinguish between the two. Finally, most healthcare
processes were designed decades ago, “suffering” patients instead of focusing on them. Involving patients in
designing the delivery of care was not even considered until Dr. Tom Ferguson published his e-patient white paper in
the early 2000s.

“Patients possess a body of knowledge about themselves that we can never hope to master, and we have a
body of knowledge about medicine that they can never hope to master. Our job is to bring these two groups
together so we can serve each other well.” ― Robert Wachter, The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the
Dawn of Medicine’s Computer Age

Patients also need to change before they can take charge of their health. Patients need to become experts on their
own health by being proactive. They need to find digital channels and methods to keep themselves up to date. Online
and in-person patient communities offer tremendous support, and a chance to “crowdsource” many health questions.
Most importantly, patients need to learn to question medical advice, especially from unreliable sources,
distinguishing between biased and reliable medical information. They need to demand personalized care and a say in
medical decisions.

How can you solve this challenge?

 

The Walking Gallery of Healthcare (Regina Holiday)

The future of care will put empowered patients in the center, who will be ready to take charge of their
health.
To make this a reality, every healthcare stakeholder needs to do its part. Physicians must be
ready to work with patients as equal partners. This will lead to both for increased outcomes, more quality time
spent with patients and higher job satisfaction, preventing burnout.

 

Let’s use technologies to augment the human touch!
2,000 people who want to transform healthcare

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