Hi @Clive Flashman. I suspect many of us, when told not to look up an ailment online, do the exact opposite. The availability of information has changed in our lifetimes beyond all recognition. However, the quality of that information has also changed. Previously there were limited number of experts and now we have sources at our fingertips. The danger is with misinformation and an inability to know what is correct and what is not. The vaxxer/anti-vaxxer argument is perhaps a prime example or the use of bleach and other products to combat Covid-19.
However, I think patient involvement in their own care is vital and if patients can't learn about illnesses etc. themselves, it is beholden on the clinicians to get them to a level of informed consent. I had a good experience recently where the doctor listened to my own ideas about how to deal with an issue and agreed it was sensible.
The challenge will be to know what information is accurate and for clinicians to integrate that into discussions that are now done remotely in many cases and in time poor situations.
I'd suggest that social media platforms are not the best place for an unbiased view on life and death matters though. There are plenty of websites that specialise in quality medical content that might be better choices for peer reviewed insights.
Final thought, clinicians today are generally more friendly and open to discussion than in my younger days. The 'consultant is god' model seems to have gone but we're clearly not providing some patients with the darned good listening to that they need.
Using Twitter to assess patient takes on patient experience
in News
A group article by Patient Safety Learning
Posted
Hi @Clive Flashman. I suspect many of us, when told not to look up an ailment online, do the exact opposite. The availability of information has changed in our lifetimes beyond all recognition. However, the quality of that information has also changed. Previously there were limited number of experts and now we have sources at our fingertips. The danger is with misinformation and an inability to know what is correct and what is not. The vaxxer/anti-vaxxer argument is perhaps a prime example or the use of bleach and other products to combat Covid-19.
However, I think patient involvement in their own care is vital and if patients can't learn about illnesses etc. themselves, it is beholden on the clinicians to get them to a level of informed consent. I had a good experience recently where the doctor listened to my own ideas about how to deal with an issue and agreed it was sensible.
The challenge will be to know what information is accurate and for clinicians to integrate that into discussions that are now done remotely in many cases and in time poor situations.
I'd suggest that social media platforms are not the best place for an unbiased view on life and death matters though. There are plenty of websites that specialise in quality medical content that might be better choices for peer reviewed insights.
Final thought, clinicians today are generally more friendly and open to discussion than in my younger days. The 'consultant is god' model seems to have gone but we're clearly not providing some patients with the darned good listening to that they need.