How the New Power of Patients will change Health Care – video

Patients are becoming more informed about possible diseases and treatments, more prepared for what could happen to them in hospitals and with certain medicines, more supported and informed by their peers with same diseases, all thanks to the new internettechnologies. Comparable to our concept of the ‘disruptive citizen’ we can call this the ‘disruptive patient’. This new power in information, knowledge and even comparing treatments, doctors and hospitals, makes a fundamental change of current health care systems and providers necessary. It is no longer just a patient asking for more say, own choice and information, but demanding and claiming this, because he/she is used to using these information tools.

“The right question is about how the supply side in health care, like doctors and hospitals, should change their behaviour, attitude and systems of interacting with patients to partner with this new power.”

The big question we now hear amongst doctors is if these public systems of medical information are good enough (and often they mean: Are we still as important and necessary as we’re used to?). This is not the right question about this new power. The right question is about how the supply side in health care, like doctors and hospitals, should change their behaviour, attitude and systems of interacting with patients to partner with this new power.

This is what dr. Steven P.M. de Waal analyzed and observed in health care worldwide and lectured about for an audience of public administrators and political executives in healthcare at the Industryforum Healthcare in Stockholm (Sweden) in October 2017. These video interviews with Steven de Waal were taken after this lecture.

Video 1: The impact of the power and wishes of patients on health care

In Video 1 the main focus is on the impact of this new power of patients on health care. The concepts of ‘disruptive citizen’ and ‘disruptive patient’ are explained. Of course the platformeconomy is discussed and how this will affect health care in becoming much more data driven. One of the new things is that these data will increasingly be in the hands of patients. The big battle everywhere will be about ownership of these data, including medical data. The main challenge as analyzed in the interview is about opening up of health care: for a more informed patient, for dialogue about medical choices, for more say of patients over their treatments and for facilitating their selfmanagement and selfmonitoring.

Video 2: What is Public Space?

In Video 2 Dr. Steven P.M. de Waal is interviewed about the Public Space Foundation. What kind of Thinktank is it, how does it cope with the new strategic context and what is its mission? His main message is that with its mission of promoting social entrepreneurship and active citizenship, the main problem often is the paternalism of politicians and public service executives. They have an – often unconscious – attitude of knowing better for their clients or people they must ‘serve’. This is of course the worst attitude when you have to work with and for adult citizens, who now increasingly have the information to counter you in that ‘know better’-style.