{"id":135,"date":"2008-05-11T15:24:50","date_gmt":"2008-05-11T20:24:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/72.9.147.40\/archives\/2008\/05\/randy-pausch-empowered-patient-participatory-medicine.html"},"modified":"2008-05-11T15:24:50","modified_gmt":"2008-05-11T20:24:50","slug":"randy-pausch-empowered-patient-participatory-medicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/participatorymedicine.org\/epatients\/2008\/05\/randy-pausch-empowered-patient-participatory-medicine.html","title":{"rendered":"Randy Pausch, empowered patient \/ participatory medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 12 of Randy Pausch<\/a>\u2019s best-selling book The Last Lecture<\/a><\/em> opens with a classic anecdote of what it looks like when an empowered patient practices participatory medicine with an equally participatory care team:<\/p>\n

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CT scans revealed I had pancreatic cancer, and it would take me just ten seconds on Google to discover how bad this news was. Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of any cancer; half of those diagnosed with it die within six months, and 96 percent die within five years.<\/p>\n

I approached my treatment like I approach so many things, as a scientist. And so I asked lots of data-seeking questions, and found myself hypothesizing along with my doctors. I made audio tapes of my conversations with them, so I could listen more closely to their explanations at home. I\u2019d find obscure journal articles and bring them with me to appointments. Doctors didn\u2019t seem to be put off by me. In fact, most thought I was a fun patient because I was so engaged in everything. (They didn\u2019t even seem to mind when I brought along advocates \u2013 my friend and colleague Jessica Hodgins came to appointments to offer both support and her brilliant research skills in navigating medical information.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

E-patient \/ participatory principles spotted in action here:<\/p>\n