Month: July 2013

AHRQ and Improving Patient Physician Engagement

I was  tooling around the ‘net’ (read killing time) and I stopped by AHRQ.gov to see what’s up. I stumbled on “Questions To Ask Your Doctor” The pages opening paragraph says: 

“Asking questions and providing information to your doctor and other care providers can improve your care. Talking with your doctor builds trust and leads to better results, quality, safety, and satisfaction.”

That’s mom, apple pie, and the stars and stripes all rolled into two sentences. Further down the page you’ll see:

Which links to deeper insights and questions. Overall these are excellent and accurately address the key needs to improve patient physician engagement. They are  well done and thought through. AHRQs even includes a video from patients and physicians why this is important. 

I am very curious about this page and the information it offers patents. How many hits a month they have? How many are unique? Who is the average page viewer, age, gender, education, etc? What do they do with these questions? What is their expectations with their HCP? And what happened when they did go to the HCP with the questions? And what does the HCP think when asked these questions? That would tell us so much about patient physician engagement. How is executed? Do sites like AHRQ help improve it or does this fall on deaf ears therefore requiring a different tactic?

Second, I am wondering if this page and information is reaching as many people as it should? How is AHRQ promoting the page? Does it just fall into the overall AHRQ promotion if there is any?

Additionally I think that many of these questions are not limited to AHRQ. I suspect most if not all hospital systems and providers have web sites that feature similar questions. Mayo Clinic when you search ‘questions to ask your physician‘ has a myriad of links for disease specific questions. See here.

Now what I don’t know since I am sitting out here and not inside these organizations do they know if these questions are used? Why? Why not? Do using these questions have an impact on patient care? Outcomes? Are they measuring impact? 

To know this information would do much to help improve the work flow (i.e. patient physician engagement) of the HCP and the patient. As a marketing problem we need to know what is happening, how it is being used, and what it’s accomplishing. Once that is done we either pat ourselves on the back or scrape it and rebuild it to meet the needs of patients and HCPs.

How would want to use these questions? As a patient or caregiver or as an HCP.

Notes & Links July 12, 2013

Jane at Health Populi takes a look at two published studies examining the state of America’s health. The first is the research from JAMA “The State of US Health, 1990-2010: Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors” The second is from NEJM written by Victor Fuchs “The Gross Domestic Product and Health Care Spending”

She ends with

“While the ACA nods to prevention and primary care, it doesn’t go nearly far enough into aspects of health reform that can impact, at scale, public health to move Americans above position #27 in the world’s mortality table.” 

I wonder if all the small changes in healthcare, social media, patient/HCP engagement, internet, etc. will scale enough? 

Using zombies to teach science. Makes perfect sense to me. Tara C. Smith notes that zombies are one hot topic and cultural cornerstone today with kids. And I would add adults as well. 

“And the great thing is that these kids are *already experts* on the subject matter. They don’t have to learn about the epidemiology of a particular microbe to understand disease transmission and prevention, because they already know more than most of the adults do on the epidemiology of zombie diseases–the key is to get them to use that knowledge and broaden their thinking into various “what if” situations that they’re able to talk out and put pieces together.”

This speaks to me about teaching and making the uptake of knowledge linked to the imagination especially with kids. 

My pal Scott put me on to this video ad by Ikea. Somewhat disturbing and curious to it’s strategic position. Basically the video looks at a girl who’s doll house comes alive with mom, son, dog, and has wonderful Ikea product placements. But it is worth the view. 

“that Ikea’s version of a family doesn’t necessitate a happily married mom and dad, there’s something unquestionably off-putting about the entire narrative—especially considering it’s supposedly taking place in a child’s imagination.”

Thoughts & Links: 07/09/2013

Make it easier to avoid vaccines, and people will skip them

From The Incidental Economist  

“The bad news is that there are more state level attempts to broaden exemptions than narrow them. The good news is that the only measures that pass seem to be those that narrow them.”

Can someone explain why states that are suppose to care for the well being of its resident try to do this? And I wonder how many families of children who were not vaccinated and got sick or died sued the state?

While on the subject of vaccines this from ScienceBlogs

“Get out the popcorn! This internecine war among antivaccinationists is getting interesting (part 6)“

“Maybe it’s because when the antivaccine movement is fighting among itself it’s wasting energy that it could otherwise be using discouraging vaccination, fear mongering, and endangering public health, and that’s a good thing. “

I would disagree that the antivaccination klan is not having an effect but I am refreshed they are trying to devour each other and gagging. 

A Thicker Hope

Marco wrote the following about iOS 7 systems type font. And because type is one of the most important visuals we have it remains  key in driving readership and more. 

“Apple’s stated design philosophy of iOS 7 was “clarity, deference, and depth”. They nailed deference and depth, but clarity has suffered in many big and small ways.”

July 3, 2013 Interesting Reads

NEJM: Envy- Strategy for Reform England vs. US in healthcare. The focus ” on the most positive aspects of each system, the characteristics that should inspire envy, we may find solutions to each country’s challenges just an ocean away.” 

This article covers some key areas that we should consider if we are going to improve our healthcare system. Well worth the read.

Incidental Economist: On What Do Health Economists Agree? This is an interesting concept looking at ‘positive (as opposed to normative) statements’ Here are a few the post is open to suggestions and comments. 

  • Health insurance does not guarantee good health care.
  • Preventive care does not usually pay for itself.
  • Employees pay for all employer-based health benefits; they offset wages or other benefits.
  • Favorable tax treatment of employer-based health benefits leads to greater employer offers and more generous benefits.
  • Employer-based plans serve a risk pooling function.
  • Cost sharing reduces utilization.
  • Physicians influence patients’ level of utilization.

Webfonts by H&FJ: Introducing Cloud Typography

Great idea. It is a cloud technology for type where typography answers each browser with the right type and fast. I wonder if us mere mortals will notice the difference?