The practice of medicine has moved away from a paternalistic model toward one of collaboration between doctor and patient. This has happened as the information age, propelled by the Internet, has plunged us into an ocean of health information.
In the past, doctors may have been happy with passive patients who followed orders and didn’t ask questions, said Dr. Andrew Ellner, co-director of the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Medicine. Today the most innovative medical programs recognize that such an approach does not promote optimal health outcomes for patients. “Patients need to be empowered to speak up and be partners in figuring out what’s going on and designing care plans with their physicians,” he said.
Read Barbara Sadick’s full Chicago Tribune article here.
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