Journal of Participatory Medicine
on October 21, 2009
If you want to know what "patient-centered" health care really looks like, I have good news! Tomorrow is the official launch of the long awaited Journal of Participatory Medicine. To view the full press release, click here.
The Journal of Participatory Medicine comes along at an important time. As with other buzz words, terms like 'patient-centered' and 'e-patient' are at risk of being reappropriated (misused to the point of effectively ruining the original meaning) for profit purposes. For example, can you tell the difference between a conference that is genuinely about the e-patient experience as opposed to a conference about how to make money off of e-patients?
Fortunately, the Journal of Participatory Medicine will serve as a trusted source of information for those genuinely interested in the health care experience and health outcomes of patients. So, you may ask, what is 'participatory medicine'? Yes, it is yet another term to learn (to understand, use, and spell), but it is definitely worth the effort.
What is Participatory Medicine?
Participatory medicine respects the fact that ultimately, patients are in charge of their own health. Patients have a right to participate in maintaining and improving their health, both in every day life and when they are interacting with medical professionals. The reality is that most of us spend the vast majority of our lives outside the medical system and the current medical system does not have the capacity to manage the ongoing health needs of people efficiently or effectively.
A great example of what participatory medicine looks like is a story Gangadhar Sulkunte and his wife, Dalhia were kind enough to share on e-patients.net.
Think about the better (and worse) experiences you have had with the medical system. Certainly, a number of factors contributed to each experience. To what degree were you encouraged (or allowed) to be an active participant in each situation?