With the growing demand of patient demands, change in healthcare delivery with Affordable Care Act, physicians are asked to adapt to these changes rapidly. In order to be efficient and provide this level of care to patients, the use of digital technology in medicine has grown dramatically. New platforms for integrating medical care and digital technology have been developed to enhance doctor patient communication.
Digital technology encompasses a broad range of tools such as smartphone applications, email, EMR, patient portals, telemedicine, and more are growing.
With easy access to the Internet via smartphones or tablets, patients have the opportunity to access medication and health information at their disposal. Within seconds, one can seek medical advice, research treatment options, disease prognosis, and view videos of surgical procedures online. Although physicians remain the most trusted source of medication information, studies have shown that patients seek medical information online. In 2005, a Health Information National Trends survey reported 63.7% of a total of 6369 patients searched health related information prior to visiting their physician.
As a physician today, it is common to anticipate questions from patients regarding the newest treatment options, be knowledgeable about their conditions, medications and even surgical treatment options. This serves as an advantage, in a way, as it may promote better understanding among patients. However, does that compromise or improve the patient-doctor relationship, more specifically, communication between the two?
Despite these avenues, a common complaint faced by health-care providers today is the lack of communication and empathy from physicians. And as one would expect, effective communication positively influences patient outcomes. As physicians provide patients with clear information, involve them in decision-making, follow up consistently and educate patients on their conditions, results show improved emotional, functional and physiologic health such as pain mood, anxiety, blood pressure, and even blood glucose levels among patients.
