More Debate on Obama's Health Care Plan: Canada Dragged into the Fray Yet Again

Here's an opinion piece from the Globe and Mail.

Now I'm proud of our health care system and I'm happy to be working within it. I have said before that I feel free to practice medicine in a way that is in line with my values. I don't feel restricted in any way at this point. Maybe that would be different as an independent doctor (rather than as a surgical trainee), but I doubt it.

One thing that I do want to point out from this article though is the lack of any reference to the Social Determinants of Health. I have talked about them in a previous blog. It's the whole idea that we should be looking upstream for the causes of medical issues rather than devising ways to treat the problems that result.

The article doesn't give Canadian government programs, education and support as a reason for improved life expectancy, child mortality and decreased health care costs. It's not just the medical system doing a great job...it's also the ability of our society to avoid a lot of the problems that come from a lack of programs that knit a safety net for members of society.

I think this may be a way to focus our future efforts too. We, as a society, should take on the challenge of identifying ways to further improve our support systems and see if we can further the inconvenient truth the republicans fear.

Post-speech Reaction: What I Heard From Obama

If you haven't listened to Obama's Healthcare speech then here's the link to NPR's coverage:

http://tinyurl.com/opvp9t

There were several things that really stuck out for me in Obama's speech as a Canadian in the United States. I'm seeing the way the system here works for the first time, and Obama's message went straight to the heart of several issues I have seen playing out during my time here.

Is there anyone else out there who has some opinions about the speech? Any other Canadians out there living in the US who have a similar perspective on the speech? Listen and give your opinion!

Dr. everyone Has Launched: Test drive the newest Consumer Health Website

There's an new kid on the block! Yes, online health information is going to take a new shape. Online disease communities have a new place to turn that isn't focused on medical information. There's an option for those looking for more intimate knowledge of how disease processes affect those who suffer from them. This online community will allow patients to tell their story in a more natural, non-clinical way!

I'm proud to announce that Dr. everyone has now launched in Beta format. The site should be fully functional. We're looking for lots of input on how to make the site better. You can see how your comments and feedback change the look of the site. As a charter member you can drive the evolution of our community!

Come to http://tinyurl.com/l329dr and use the feedback button to let us know if you have any bouquets or brickbats to air about the web manifestation of our concept...

If you don't know what a brickbat is, just ask!

Innovations - Previous Blog on Financial Post

Here's a previous blog entry that I thought I would re-post on the Doctor, Heal Thyself blog. I asked the question at the time if there were any thoughts on the reasons for IT and healthcare being the two front-runners.

The article that I referenced was about the greatest innovations of the past 30 years. The criteria were:

• Did it improve quality of life, having a direct and/or material effect on quality of life?
• Did it address a compelling need? solve a compelling problem?
• Was it a fresh breakthrough with a "wow" factor?
• Did it change the way business is conducted?
• Did it increase the efficiency of how resources are used?
• Did it spark an ongoing stream of new innovations on top of the original innovation?
• Did it lead to the creation of a vast, new industry?

Any thoughts? Are these criteria reasonable? Any arguments on the selections?

Interesting New York Times Article on Online Health Information

The New York Times has nicely summarized the ways to find and digest health information online. Here's what they had to say...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/health/30pati.html?_r=2&8dpc&oref=login&oref=slogin

I definitely see two sides to the proliferation of online health information. One side I have already articulated. That is the empowerment that people can develop related to diagnosis and treatment and the teamwork that can start to develop between doctor and patient. If the methods of communication between doctors and patients evolve then more effective 'service' can be provided by two active participants in the therapeutic partnership.

On the other hand, even if every shred of information on the Internet related to health were true, there's too much to digest. As I turn to my bookshelf as I write this post I see 18 volumes covering some of my specialty area. That's only a portion of what I need to read, evaluate and integrate in order to take my exam. In other words, that's the information regulatory bodies think it is important to review to develop competence in my specialty.

As the Internet is so full of information, and growing daily the 'book shelf' that we will all have to go to in order to find the information we need will keep getting longer and longer. What will be more important that being able to find it will be filtering it. Another thing that will be key to using the Internet will be developing new, more patient-centred ways of collecting information. If the methods used for collection of patient feedback are properly designed we may see new insights into the treatments we use...and really find out what's working and what isn't.