EHR Etiquette and the Importance of Eye Contact in Clinician-Patient Communication

March 18, 2010 · Filed Under general · 15 Comments

Another guest post from Lisa Gualtieri, PhD, ScM, following her much-commented earlier post.

Lisa is Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Health Communication Program at Tufts University School of Medicine. Lisa teaches Online Consumer Health and Web Strategies for Health Communication. A social media user herself, Lisa (Twitter, LinkedIn) blogs on health and is Editor-in-Chief of eLearn Magazine, where she blogs on education.

I had an interesting juxtaposition of events. While waiting in Peets, a coffee shop in Lexington Center, I watched the friendly discussions between the baristas and customers. I then went to a doctor’s appointment, where a nurse stood typing at a laptop asking me a series of questions, including “Are you in pain?” and “Do you feel safe at home?” She didn’t look at me once as she read and typed.
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Patient Stories on Health Web Sites Can Not Always Be Trusted

March 15, 2010 · Filed Under general · 51 Comments

Guest post from Lisa Gualtieri, PhD, ScM, Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Health Communication Program at Tufts University School of Medicine. Lisa teaches Online Consumer Health and Web Strategies for Health Communication. A social media user herself, Lisa (Twitter, LinkedIn) blogs on health and is Editor-in-Chief of eLearn Magazine, where she blogs on education.

“On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog” was the caption of the famous cartoon by Peter Steiner in the July 5, 1993 issue of The New Yorker. The same is true of patient stories on health Web sites: nobody knows who really wrote them. In the case of Lifestyle Lift, the company agreed to pay a $300,000 settlement last year to New York State because their patient stories were employee-generated.

Patient stories can provide information, support, reassurance, and practical advice, which is why 41% of e-patients read the commentaries and experiences of others online. The three primary types of patient stories are the unedited user-generated stories in online health communities and patient blogs; professionally edited or “as told to” support stories; and promotional stories.

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