More often than not, the determining factor in whether or not a physician is sued is the patient’s perception of whether or not the physician cared about them. Ways that doctors can make a patient feel cared for are offering good consultation, providing accurate information regarding the treatment that the patient is receiving for their condition, and being prepared to adequately address any information.
Time with a doctor can be limited so having patient education materials available, such as patient education handouts, patient education brochures and reliable websites help patient involvement in their treatment plan and medical decisions. New patient consultation technologies, like mixed, virtual and augmented reality, even allow patients to examine 3D models of their own anatomy and discuss the treatment approach with their doctor. Check out our article Mixed Reality vs. Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality: Their Differences and Use in Healthcare to learn more about these technologies.
The importance of patient education and counseling
Technology and the internet can be a fantastic tool. A patient can type their medical condition or symptoms into a Google search and receive 7.3 million references within a second. With all this information at people’s fingertips, some of that is bound to be misinformation as well. Certain sites offer valid, medical analysis and some offer opinions with no medical basis.
How can patient education be improved?
With so many sites out there claiming to offer accurate healthcare education, how can a patient differentiate the reliable from the unreliable? Doctors can play a key role in directing patients to credible sources for patients to find the accurate information they need.
Ideally, you’ll want to point patients towards sites that take a neutral stance on various types of treatment options and do not push a specific product or company. Brainlab.org, for example, provides patients with unbiased information about all available treatment options for certain indications. Other reliable sources of patient information are Mayo Clinic and Medscape.