Why Participatory Medicine?

November 9, 2009 · Filed Under Why PM, medical records, positive patterns, pt/doc co-care, trends & principles · 24 Comments

For most people, their impetus to be actively engaged in healthcare comes from an experience with serious illness—either their own or a loved one’s. My journey into participatory medicine began during my internal medicine residency at Boston City Hospital, a public urban hospital, in the late 1980s. While there, I had a number of realizations that led to my passion for participatory medicine.

The first was that educating patients and communicating with them effectively pays big dividends in improved health behaviors and outcomes. It is the most cost effective intervention we can offer. Moreover, this only happens in an environment of mutual respect. In almost every patient, there is something to be treasured and respected. Hopefully, they feel the same about us.

Next I realized that so much of what we do in healthcare is information management. An extraordinary effort is invested into locating, organizing, recording, and regurgitating information that is used in patient care. More on this later.

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