Access to medical information – let’s close the gap.

..A glance at the watch in clinic and I realize:” OMG, we are running late I should stay stop babbling”

“Please don’t” say the parents ” this is the reason we came to you… we heard you’re extremely talkative”…

 

An essential part of accessible medical care occurs when discussing diagnosis and treatment. This conversation occurs at eye level, and this is the most important component of every medical encounter and especially in online services.

 

The world is changing. Medical information is accessible to everyone over the internet. But is this truly available in an equal matter to all? For some this information in unobtainable. A certain amount of knowledge, language and searching skills are needed to reach the relevant information. The inequality in accessing information causes disparities. Physician must to be aware to the fact that when the patients’ leave the office they do not have equal access to medical information. There are patients who will seek information and we’ll be able to find relevant answers to their questions. While others do not know where to begin.

We need to try harder to provide accessible information in clinic; both during the medical discussion and as” homework assignments”.

 

Accessibility tips:

For the physician-

1. Try to dedicate between 25 to 33% of the time for the discussion with the family.

2. Write the main keywords clearly in English for the further reading.

3. Tell the family where can they get reliable information (websites, social media, NGO, research labs etc.)

 

For the patients-

1. Tell the physicians in the beginning of the appointment what you want to discuss to plan the time accordingly and won’t be done in a rush.

2. Take notes- write the important medical terms down and make sure you understand the main points. Is not always clear enough from the medical summary.

3. Ask the physician for additional information to read at home.