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| A Patient Focused Health System |
 In an article from the Globe and Mail this past week, “Quality, not just quantity, of care matters”, Andre Picard writes about how we spend a great deal of effort, time and money measuring wait times and gathering various statistics on human resources and procedures done but very little on determining whether patients are satisfied with the care they have received while being treated in our medical system.
He links patient satisfaction to good communication which he suggests is empowering to patients and providers. At a time of constrained resources, both material and human, when communication can be limited, strained or rushed, the Canadian Medical Association has launched its physician/patient health portal, mydoctor.ca. It has the potential to change the way some health care is delivered, improve chronic disease management and to enhance communication between physicians and patients. During a speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade on April 1, CMA president, Dr. Brian Day, announced the CMA’s vision for a patient-focused health system. With the click of a mouse, access and quality of care for patients can be improved through the use of this internet communication tool. With a 400% rise in health costs between 1984 and 2005 and a rise in population of 25% it is evident that Canada needs to find sustainable mechanisms for providing access to patients that will improve their health care experience. Empowering the patient through improved contact with their physician and associated providers through this new health portal, mydoctor.ca, there is opportunity to improve the management of patients with chronic illness as well as enhance communication overall. In a patient-centered system where asking and listening should be integral to care, and where new technologies are changing delivery, we can look forward to engaging patients in an active way that will ultimately provide them with improved satisfaction. At this time no exact funding arrangement has been established but it may be reasonable to assume that the value of this tool may be left to the consumer to determine. If a patient believes this type of enhanced communication with their provider is valuable and even convenient for them, possibly saving them trips to the doctor’s office including travel time, parking fees and even wear and tear on the environment, then it is reasonable to attach some dollar value not necessarily borne by the health care system alone, but rather by the patient or in combination with government. To keep the patient central in the health care system, their needs including their need for improved communication should be valued. Add your comment |