As we know participatory medicine is based upon mutual respect: the clinician respecting the self-knowledge, experience, and wisdom that the patient brings to the collaboration and the patient respecting the knowledge, clinical experience, wisdom, and technical skills that the clinician brings.

While most patients won’t be able to experience what it’s like to be a clinician, most (perhaps all) clinicians, at some point, will experience being a patient. As e-Patient Dave has said for years and is now published in Let Patients Help as the first of Ten Fundamental Truths:

“Patient is not a third person word…your time will come.”

Last month my time came. I wrote about my experience here.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!