Don't be a resistor!!! Change is ok, I promise!

Lately the medical blogosphere has been buzzing about a doctor named Jay Parkinson (see ScienceRoll). Dr Parkinson has set up his practice using web 2.0 tools, a Mac, and a vision to use technology to make doctors practices better! I recommend you watch the video (see the link above) and see for yourself. His commentary is right on!

The issue of using the web to schedule appointments and answer questions from your doctor seems to be a revolutionary concept to innovation resistors. It is interesting that Papa Johns Pizza can get orders from text message, web, phone, and in person, yet our medical professional are still using pens and paper, phones, and face to faceto schedule appointments and answer questions.

I understand that many people think a face to face contact with the physician is an integral part of the medical process, but I challenge you to think about how much face time you actually get with your primary care doc. Ten minutes, if that!

In those ten minutes, can you get all your questions answered adequately? Is the face to face interaction of a regular visit really needed? Could a web camera, and email or IM get the same result with less hassle? It appears that is the way of the future.

After all, if we can order a pizza to clog our arteries, don't you think we should be able to request a lab result, ask about a pathology report, or ask about a drug side effect without having to go into the office. One of the troubles of the current system is that the practitioners own the information. As a ED nurse, the amount of paperwork and permissions I have to get before I can print out a lab report is ridiculous. (HIPPA stopping innovation is another topic for another day).

Health 2.0 serves to change that. In a generation of instant information and gratification the day long trips to medical records to get test results will not be tolerated. Even email is becoming too slow. Soon the market will demand a practitioner or the care extender to be available at all times for questions.

In my vision, I see this reducing ED use, increasing face time with the docs, placing health care accountability back into the patients hands, and changing how we see our physicians. As hospital care becomes more and more based into the home, actual visits to the office or hospital will no longer be for antibiotic use (we all know that can be done at home) but rather for critical events. I am excited to see the new generation of caregivers enter health care market and demand better and more effcient processes. As technology changes the way we practice nursing and medicine I will be an early adopter!

SEE RELATED

Interview with Jay Parkinson, the web-savvy doctor
From Doctor 2.0 to Patient 2.0: On Video
ZocDoc: Doctor Appointments Online