There is no question healthcare in the United States is undergoing a paradigm shift. Many of the headlines have been on the financial impacts within the insurance industry, with doctors and with patients. There is also a trend evolving focusing on lifestyle changes, self-management, and what could be called preventative medicine. This very insightful article from Interactions magazines examines what this will mean for not only the Doctor – Patient relationship, but the individual “patients” themselves.
The paradigm shift is moving away from looking at the doctor/patient relationship as a subordinate parent/child relationship and looking at the doctor as more of a consultant and coach where the “patient” is taking responsibility for their own health. In this process and leap to responsibility, an individual will be able to monitor and collect data through the use of interactive dashboards and social media, data that can be used to enable and forecast current health conditions and, if necessary, make adjustments for a healthier lifestyle.