Thanks to Torben Rügge of Cure-It for this tip. We met at the Karolinska Institute event I wrote about recently.
People in medicine are talking endlessly these days about patient-centered care. (Some prefer “person-centered.”) Many are asking what the term means, and some patients are responding, “Thanks for asking! How far will you let us take it?”
Here’s a vision of a future healthcare system, presented at TEDx Copenhagen in 2012 by Danish Dr. Klaus Phanareth. I’m amazed that I haven’t heard of this talk – it’s aligned with my way of thinking and very thought provoking. 14 minutes. (Email subscribers, if you can’t see the video, click here.)
The scripted scene (at 9:52) is of course idealized, with your own doc and your own health coach happily available the moment you call. But aside from that, think about what doses of care the patient is getting … and think about whether she would have gotten what she needs, if she’d had to bundle up and get in a car to go get it.
Then think about your own medical incidents, your kids’, your parents’… think about the future. Can you get the dose of care you want?
People in other countries are working on things like this, and I see no reason why we all shouldn’t.
Next time you need care, ask yourself: do I need to go see someone face to face? Sometimes we do, but …
If we really want care to be patient-centered, are we ready to make the whole thing be as convenient as we’d like? What are the obstacles?
Related post: my encounter with the Swiss medical system, which began with a Skype telehealth “visit” with my primary overseas. I liked that. That was patient centered!
I am glad to see that the Epital project is receiving attention internationally. I have been an active contributor to the project for some time, by helping to garner political support, formulate ideas, as a co-author of Klaus Phanareth’s TEDx speech and even as the patient “Joan” in the short film that is part of the video.
The Epital has come a long way since the TEDx talk was given in Copenhagen in 2012. It is now a fully functioning tablet-based shared-care solution for the healthcare professionals AND THE PATIENTS with COPD supported by a full-range healthcare team reachable by video conferences. There are currently about 50 COPD patients enrolled in the program, and there are plans to expand further to include other Groups of patients with chronic conditions.
The Epital is an example of transformative and disruptive innovation that can inspire radical change in the way healthcare systems are organized.
It’s great to hear from you again, Katrine! (Folks, in 2012 I presented twice in Copenhagen and met Katrine. I’m happy to say she’s in much better health than the patient she portrayed (excellently) in the video-in-a-video.)
Katrine is a potent e-patient, to say the least – not only for herself but, obviously, in helping create a system that works better for everyone.