e-Patients Blog
The blog of the Society for Participatory Medicine. Want to be a contributor?
Google Forms Advisory Council Heavy on Bigwigs
Well, at least Google tries. We have to give them credit for that, and for this very first step — which I honestly hope is just that (as others have […]
Michael Moore’s Sicko Wants You
Michael Moore has decided to do something a little different with the recent release of his documentary detailing some of the ills, as he sees them, of America’s healthcare system. […]
Health Education vs. Outcomes
The Pew Internet Project has found that the internet has a significant impact on decisions about which school to attend, but it does not play a big role in other “major life moments.” Is there something similar in health care? Are there conditions and diseases which are more likely to yield to an e-patient’s ability to change the outcome? Is it enough that e-patients are more informed and feel empowered by information, or should we expect more?
AMA versus Retail Clinics: Patient Safety or Protectionism?
Unsurprisingly, the American Medical Association has come down on the side of paternalistic “patient safety” (just looking out for us little ole “patients”) in expressing concerns about the rise of […]
E-Patients And The Participatory Internet- Part II
In a post a couple of weeks ago (Part I), I talked about the participatory nature of the internet and related platforms. OK, I agree that “Web 2.0″ is already […]
Three Simple Rules
When in 2002 we came out with our bold new concept of “information therapy” I was sure that Tom would love the idea of doctors or health plans prescribing information to consumers. He didn’t. He was concerned that the prescribed information from clinicians would undermine the patient’s right or ability to search for information from other self-helpers…
…I think I am there—but then Tom might still not agree—for I still think that the self-help world will work better when the patient is also being prescribed information as a part of the process of care.
“Communication between Physicians and Patients in the Era of E-Medicine”
The New England Journal of Medicine has a “Perspective” by John H. Stone, M.D., M.P.H., on how E-Medicine is changing the doctor-patient relationship (June 14, 2007). Here’s a memorable quote: […]
Where Online Health Will Be
Tom Ferguson’s White Paper, “e-patients: how they can help us heal health care,” was many years in development. Early in the process Tom convened a gathering at Commonweal in Bolinas, […]
How do you afford healthcare for so many people?
Bloggers at “Et tu?” are discussing Healthcare costs these days and came to the conclusion that one way to help reduce Healthcare costs is by using trusted Internet sites such […]
What is the Place of Complementary and Alternative Medicine?
I have puzzled over this question many times. Today, I found a web site called “The New Medicine” that was based on PBS documentary that has a lot of balanced […]
ePatients and the Shape of Medical Knowledge
David Weinberger, a fellow at the Harvard Berkman Center, speaks eloquently on the way digitization of information is changing the way we define knowledge. In a recent presentation he made […]
Daily Kaizen
I just rediscovered Daily Kaizen, a health care provider blog that maintains an e-patients perspective. I think Ted Eytan, one of the blog’s authors, lives in the future, so I’m […]
