The Convergence of Medical and Patient Education
Andrew Schorr
Co-Founder (retired), Patient Power; patient-advocate, pharma advisor, mentor speaker; co-founder Patient Empowerment Network, member of NCCN CLL/SLL panel, member UCSD Health Cancer Services Patient Advisory Council
I have never been in the medical education field. I always thought there were companies that knew how to do this quite well and jump through all the hoops of CME etc. New Jersey is full of them. And typically these folks did "their thing" while we did ours with patient programs. Ships passing in the night.
But, in cancer at least, I have been seeing the need for convergence. Not with CME and patient ed, but simply that the "smarter patients" we work hard to "create" find that they have a "smarter doctor" at their next visits. Sadly, in community oncology that is often not the case. And I appreciate that a generalist can't keep up with everything all the time. Being an oncologist in these days of genetic subtypes and targeted therapies and loads of trials is daunting.
That's why we are now producing brief videos for doctors at the same time we create them for patients; original content with the same expert. That way everyone can be "on the same page" for up-to-date decision-making.
In our current Patient Power Survey patients tell us 20% of the time their treatment plan is changed after they discuss with their doctor something their learned from us. While that's great I fear often it is the patient who is educating the doctor. What if they BOTH were "educated".
As you know most med-ed is funded by pharma with traditional vendors. They put on huge symposia and events. It's become quite slick. But interestingly, Patient Power has had 2.1 million views of our pretty unslick brief videos - no CME - on oncologytube.com. We are the leading channel there. How did that happen? I can only think the community oncologist wants the headline news from the same experts their patients are watching. And, as a cancer patient myself, that's fine with me.
So...lets' talk about synergistic education for the patient, family members, and the whole healthcare team. I know previously this has come from different budgets, but let's turn that on its ear. Shouldn't the goal be simply well informed patients and doctors working most efficiently together so informed decisions are made?
Oh, one more thing for both audiences.:I am looking forward to producing more videos on how doctors and patients can work together. So not just discussing clinical issues, but educating both on partnership. Whether to better control healthcare costs or to provide the best care, we gotta make this happen.
What do you think?
Health Navigation 360° LLC
8yThe greatest untapped resource in healthcare is the patient herself and family. Health navigation, also known as patient advocacy and healthmanagement, is emerging as the professional service that fills a growing crucial need. VIP Health Navigator LLC aims to articulate needs, orient, navigate, problem solve, support and empower clients and families through their complicated and emotional healthcare journey.
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8yAndrew, I think the topic is so relevant right now. I am not surprised about the fact that "Patient Power has had 2.1 million views of our pretty unslick brief videos". People today share enormous amounts of information with each other using "home studios" (i.e cell phones). People care about the actual content and not so much the quality of the production. It is It is time for patient education to make that shift as well so that patients have access to the information they need to get better.
Senior Consultant for Information Security Strategic Initiatives | Secure SDLC, Data Protection; Zero Trust; Neurosymbolic AI for Cybersecurity; standards for security automation; Domain-specific security and privacy
8yThe convergences are many: quality management, outcomes, adherence, workflow, PHR. As with many aspects of this "system," patient centered initiatives have diffuse funding sources, hence the talent goes elsewhere. E.g.,we were going to launch TalkToMyPatient.com but funding was elusive.
Healthcare Communications Consultant
8yAbsolutely agree with you Andrew. If we want a truly patient-centred healthcare system, we have to design it around what PATIENTS say is important to THEM. We cannot possibly achieve this without the partnership approach you mention in this article.