A New Model: Online Physician-Patient Collaboration

On the Wednesday, February 12th broadcast at 2PM PT/5PM ET our special guest making an encore appearance on 'this week in oncology' is Dr. Howard J. West, lead author of the recent article titled: 'A New Model: Physician-Patient Collaboration in Online Communities and the Clinical Practice of Oncology.' 

Howard (Jack) West, MD is the Medical Director of the Thoracic Oncology Program at Swedish Cancer Institute and the President & CEO Global Resource for Advancing Cancer Education (GRACE) in Seattle, WA.

Quoting in part: 'The practice of medicine is in the midst of a fundamental transformation based on the new availability of health information through the Internet and other sources accessible by the broad lay public, as well as on the easy sharing of experiences and content through social media. This is occurring at a time when the volume of new information required for optimal medical care is exceeding that which an individual physician can feasibly follow and master. 

The changes in cancer care are especially acute as we experience an ongoing reclassification of many disease entities to reflect divisions by molecular variables, often with new clinical options now optimized for very limited patient subsets. The increasing complexity of the field, combined with the high stakes of optimizing treatment decisions and the growing availability of a wide range of information in the public domain, make oncology an area in which patients and caregivers are most motivated to become active seekers of medical information and participants in their care decisions.'

Join us for a deeper dive into the significance of this convergence.