Participatory medicine: one clinician’s awakening

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I am a nurse. I am a patient. Until about a year ago I felt very clear about how each of these played a role in my life. I was sure about which one made me strong and which one made me weak. Which was helpful to others and which was a burden. The one that would aid me in my work and the one that would hold me back. Then an email arrived in my inbox that would turn all those beliefs upside down. But this certainly didn’t happen right away, because above all else, I am stubborn.

The email came from a friend and colleague. He said he had some ideas that he wanted to discuss with me but first, he asked if I would watch a video and give him some feedback on it. The video was a TEDTalk featuring e-patient Dave deBronkart. In the video Dave told a story about how he used the internet to connect to information and other patients to learn about treatment options his own doctor had not mentioned. He claimed that what he found saved his life.

Now, I pride myself in being a creative person, able to think “outside the box.” That is why I left bedside hospital nursing to work for a small progressive company. I wanted to expand my horizons and be involved in making changes, big changes that would help patients get better care. My days were spent thinking of new and innovative ways to improve patients’ involvement in decision making with their doctors — with their doctors, not other patients!

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