Here is the abstract of my recent publication on the Internet and the Patient-Physician Relationship. This article began life as a talk given at the Carl T. Brighton Symposium dealing with Orthopaedic Informatics.
Background
Since the emergence of the public Internet in the early 1990s, the healthcare industry has been struggling to understand how best to utilize this resource. During the last decade there has been an increase in both the interest and participation by healthcare providers in the Internet space, but many observers continue to push for more development of healthcare resources to better support the provider-patient relationship.
Questions/purposes
This paper will review the historical development of the Internet, the core concepts that have driven the emergence and evolution of the Internet as a mass medium of information exchange, and how the healthcare industry can harness the Internet to improve the provider patient relationship.
Where are we now?
The healthcare industry continues to lag behind other industries that have been transformed by the Internet. Numerous industries including travel, real estate, retail sales, and banking have migrated both comprehensive information resources and transactions to the Internet in order to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction. That same process is occurring now in the healthcare industry. Credible and comprehensive Information resources are beginning to mature. Transactions are still in their infancy, reflecting a continued concern about privacy and security.
Where do we need to go?
We need to improve information resources to educate and inform patients. Improving the availability and credibility of information resources will empower patients to make better healthcare decisions and I contend will ultimately reduce the cost of delivering care.
How do we get there?
Orthopaedists must first recognize the value of information resources to the patient. Effective communication with patients is a critical component of providing healthcare services. All healthcare providers should reflect on the importance of developing an effective communications strategy for their own practice and consider the benefits of participating in efforts by professional organizations to improve existing information resources.
Sorry I cannot provide the entire article, but if you have access to CORR you can find the article here:
https://springerlink.metapress.com/content/f500104q13313j64/resource-secured/?target=fulltext.pdf&sid=ktuecgvo0l3z2455ifsnmmuk&sh=www.springerlink.com
DOI: 10.1007/s11999-010-1440-3
If you are a physical therapist looking for a great way to market your practice, take a look at our newest business partner - CustomerDNA. They have created an extraordinary set of web-based tools to both create your web presence as well as communicate with your clients. And of course it includes the eOrthopod patient education content.
Randale
Two new videos were released yesterday. Both videos are interviews with James T. Mazzara, MD from the Connecticut Center for Orthopedic Surgery in Manchester, Connecticut. Here is the video on rupture of the distal biceps tendon in the arm:
More videos are available at eOrthopodTV.
Randale
We’re preparing a new site called BackCare101 that should be ready to go February 1, 2009. For now you can watch the “trailer” to get a feel for what the site will provide:
We are currently in planning mode for 2009 and will be sending out invitations to our subscribers to participate as guests on eOrthopodTV in 2009. We have 12 slots available for 2009. If you are a health care provider involved in musculosketal care and would be interested in coming to Missoula and spending a day in the studio, contact us at info@medicalmultimediagroup.com.
Give us a brief description of your background and the topics you would like to cover. We can usually cover 6-8 topics in a full day in the studio. We usually record on Saturday, so you can fly in Friday and out on Sunday - or, of you prefer, spend some quality R&R time in Montana.
Once your videos are edited, you can insert them easily into your website. We publish them on the eOrthopodTV channel and syndicate them to iTunes and everywhere else that hosts video podcasts.
If you want the ultimate in personalization for your practice web presence, a video podcast of your eOrthopodTV episode might just be the ticket. More information available at the eOrthopodTV website. Be sure to check out the “be a guest” link.
Randale
We have released a new video over at eOrthopodTV. We are currently planning our programming for 2009, so if you are a health care provider who is involved in the care of musculoskeletal conditions email us at “info at medicalmultimediagroup.com” with your topics of interest and your background. For more information about being a guest on eOrthopodTV, check out this resource.
James Mazzara, MD
I think that anyone working to develop better communications with patients should take a moment to evaluate this new survey conducted by Edelman to assess the current state of “consumerism” in healthcare. Here is a press release and summary of the study. Here is a downloadable copy of the presentation itself, and here is Edelman’s Global President of Health, Nancy Turett talking about the issues at the recent Health 2.0 conference.
Randale
There is a new video up at eOrthopod.tv where physical therapist Brent Dodge discusses the physical therapy approach to the evaluation and treatment of neck pain. Brent has specialist credentials in manual physical therapy and utilizes these techniques in treating mechanical neck pain.
Continuing in the same vein as Presentation Zen, the new book Slide:ology by Nancy Duarte advances the science of presentations and taking slide based communication skills to a whole new level. Think Al Gore and his traveling slide show “An Inconvenient Truth”. Highly recommended!
Randale
