changes afoot: changing relationships between engaged patients and docs in cancer care
DESCRIPTION
Discussion of how online patient communities and social media are changing relationships between engaged patients and oncologists, improving quality of cancer care.TRANSCRIPT
CHANGES AFOOT: A NEW MODEL OF INTERACTION BETWEEN DOCTORS AND ENGAGED PATIENTS
H. Jack West, MDSwedish Cancer InstituteSeattle, WA
Global Resource for Advancing Cancer Education (GRACE)www.cancerGRACE.org
Requires:•a finite amount of medical information•only the physician having access to it
The Unidirectional Model
NOBODY Can Keep Up with the Torrent of New Medical
Information• Rate of new content more
than doubling in last 20 yrs
• More & more journals, especially in oncology (>180)
No wonder it feels overwhelming
(courtesy of Jason Priem/blog)
Before and After Molecular Oncology
Before After
Large populations Small Populations
Marginal effects Major benefits
Trials in hundreds of sites
Trials in very few sites
Generally rely on oncologists to enroll
May well fall to patients and caregivers to seek
out
25%2000
81%2011
Physicians may be concerned about losing control over the
discussion
Physicians remain the most trusted source of information
about medical issues
From Fox, Peer to Peer Healthcare, Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2011
www.CancerGRACE.orga 501(c)3 nonprofit
Bidirectional Model
Network Model
www.CancerGRACE.orga 501(c)3 nonprofit
Patients are HIGHLY MOTIVATED to help themselves
www.CancerGRACE.orga 501(c)3 nonprofit
Adapting to a new model:Disruption comes with
opportunities• Relationships between patients and
physicians are changing• Bidirectional• Physicians no longer expected to know
everything out there to know• Patients/caregivers will increasingly turn to
social networks and searchable online content
• Physicians will have a critical role, even if it changes fundamentally in coming years