Some Doctors are Speed Bumps on the e-Patients RoadComments on: --

By: Charlie Smith

Charlie Smith — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:57:39 +0000

It distresses me to see both sides of this discussion become polarized. The potential that stands to be realized from the ePatient revolution is the ability to harness the power of the PARTNERSHIP between health providers and patients, interacting on the web, together actually discovering new knowledge, in the vein of David Weinberger’s discussion about how the net is actually “changing the shape of knowledge”. At its best, this partnership, as Tom modeled so well, actually takes health care to a new, higher, better level!

By: John Grohol

John Grohol — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 11:58:07 +0000

I think the positive from something like this is to see docs like Harkaway actually engaging in the dialogue, which is probably something some docs wouldn’t have even done a decade ago. We may not agree with his viewpoint, but perhaps some of these concepts will sink in the more community discussions are had.

By: Dan Hoch

Dan Hoch — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 10:09:10 +0000

I like the”speed bump” analogy. As in many rapidly evolving fields, I hear these folks referred to as “dinosaurs” quite frequently. In that context, there is a sense that they simply need to grow old, retire and get out of the game. However, many of them are not actually old, and will be in practice for years to come. They are the folks who have been selected and trained as physicians in the belief that an individual doctor can know enough to practice high-quality, safe and effective medicine. Clearly, some providers, those interested in informatics and technology, understand that the human brain cannot hold enough information to serve us well. Others have come to understand that patients bring an enormous fund of knowledge to the table. If those provider groups are at the table (instead of people like Paul Harkaway) then patients will also be at table and real progress will be made.

By: Alan Greene

Alan Greene — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 05:48:26 +0000

Tom was fond of Eric Hoffer’s statement, “In a time of drastic change it is the LEARNERS who inherit the future… [while] the LEARNED find themselves beautifully equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.”

Yes, John, I still frequently meet the speedbumps you mention — other physicians who are dismissive of real value of e-patients roles in healthcare. But when I look at learners, I am very hopeful. The newest crop of physicians, on average, are the most eager to see educated, empowered patients take responsibility for their own health.

I’m most excited though, by what I call the LEARNING LEARNED — those who have devoted a lifetime to studying health, and who are continuing to learn. Not just adding new facts to old ways of doing things, but learning new perspectives on our new landscape. What an inspiration and force for change! And Tom, of course, was the quintessential LEARNING LEARNED.