CHANGES AFOOT: A NEW MODEL OF INTERACTION BETWEEN DOCTORS AND ENGAGED PATIENTS

H. Jack West, MDSwedish Cancer InstituteSeattle, WA

Global Resource for Advancing Cancer Education (GRACE)www.cancerGRACE.org

Requires:•a finite amount of medical information•only the physician having access to it

The Unidirectional Model

NOBODY Can Keep Up with the Torrent of New Medical

Information• Rate of new content more

than doubling in last 20 yrs

• More & more journals, especially in oncology (>180)

No wonder it feels overwhelming

(courtesy of Jason Priem/blog)

Before and After Molecular Oncology

Before After

Large populations Small Populations

Marginal effects Major benefits

Trials in hundreds of sites

Trials in very few sites

Generally rely on oncologists to enroll

May well fall to patients and caregivers to seek

out

25%2000

81%2011

Physicians may be concerned about losing control over the

discussion

Physicians remain the most trusted source of information

about medical issues

From Fox, Peer to Peer Healthcare, Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2011

www.CancerGRACE.orga 501(c)3 nonprofit

Bidirectional Model

Network Model

www.CancerGRACE.orga 501(c)3 nonprofit

Patients are HIGHLY MOTIVATED to help themselves

www.CancerGRACE.orga 501(c)3 nonprofit

Adapting to a new model:Disruption comes with

opportunities• Relationships between patients and

physicians are changing• Bidirectional• Physicians no longer expected to know

everything out there to know• Patients/caregivers will increasingly turn to

social networks and searchable online content

• Physicians will have a critical role, even if it changes fundamentally in coming years