Consumer Diagnose Thyself!

In yesterday's briefing (see Turning Your Clinical Team Into Watson all members), I mentioned three reasons why we are likely to see clinical professionals use more decision support tools. One key factor is that consumers are beating them to the punch. One of my friends, a family physician, was bemoaning the fact that his patients questioned his diagnoses and his choice of prescriptions. His comment, "I groan every time I look in the waiting room and see one of my patients with a pile of printouts from some website."

Increasingly consumers are taking self-directed care in new directions . . .