{"id":3098,"date":"2012-06-21T17:00:44","date_gmt":"2012-06-21T21:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.poweryourpractice.com\/?p=3098"},"modified":"2012-06-21T17:00:44","modified_gmt":"2012-06-21T21:00:44","slug":"how-to-handle-e-patient-pitfalls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carecloud.com\/continuum\/how-to-handle-e-patient-pitfalls\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Handle e-Patient Pitfalls"},"content":{"rendered":"

e-patients are involved in their health \u2013 they\u2019re informed, typically very educated and they\u2019re paving the way for a revolution in patient engagement. And contrary to popular belief, the \u2018e\u2019 doesn\u2019t stand for \u2018electronic\u2019<\/strong> \u2013 it\u2019s intentionally ambiguous, which leaves plenty to the imagination.<\/p>\n

Naturally, there are downsides to these new, engaged, empowered, and connected patients.<\/strong> Read on to find out what they are and how you can prepare yourself once e-patients go mainstream.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Cyberchondria<\/strong>
\nThe first of the e-patient downsides is already an oft-publicized phenomenon. Cyberchondria is a nosophobic condition resulting from the marriage of hyperchondria and sites like WebMD.<\/a><\/p>\n

While it\u2019s generally positive for patients to become more engaged and informed about their health and whatever conditions they may (or may not) suffer from, digesting large amounts of information with a negative mindset may result in dramatic personality changes and a dismal approach to health.<\/p>\n

Not to mention, cyberchondriacs may self-diagnose and later self-medicate, which can be disastrous. And when more than 6 million Americans research their potential medical conditions daily,<\/strong> the healthcare system may have a massive problem on its hands.<\/p>\n

The paranoia associated with cyberchondria can be assuaged, however. Check with your patients, review facts and myths associated with certain conditions, and expound on what differentiates clusters of conditions with similar symptoms.<\/p>\n

Also, reassure patients and don\u2019t order an unnecessary test for your more Google-compulsive ones. Oh, and please discourage the use of forums like Yahoo! Answers, reminding patients that\u00a0they don\u2019t want advice from a middle school kid<\/strong> with some ridiculous pseudonym.<\/p>\n

e-rrogance<\/strong>
\nThe \u2018e\u2019 in e-patient has been associated with myriad words reminiscent of the uplifting jargon found in New Age periodicals \u2013 equipped, enabled, empowered, emancipated, engaged.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While positive attitudes do wonders for patients’ health, too much confidence in their own knowledge and research can make e-patients a bit arrogant. You don\u2019t want patients who think they know more about how to treat themselves than you do.<\/p>\n

First, elicit information from your patients. Informed e-patients like to discuss their conditions, sharing insights and knowledge about their symptoms that benefit your understanding of their state, as well as elucidate treatment options.<\/p>\n

Afterwards, your best bet is to remind them of aspects of their regimens they can take full of control of and regulate. For instance, for conditions with dietary requirements, like diabetes, enlighten them on the dangers of the condition, misconceptions they\u00a0 may have encountered during their research and how being informed can improve their daily lives.<\/p>\n

Then, encourage e-patients to take diets into their own hands and instill a sense of responsibility, which gives them more of a purpose to keep digesting data. In other words, balance the e-patient \u2018e\u2019 words with your own lexicon \u2013 elicit, enlighten and encourage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Misguidance<\/strong>
\ne-patients are well versed about their health, which usually leads to better healthcare. In some cases, they may be aware of some details regarding their conditions that are new to you. This isn’t something to be bitter about. Instead, leverage this knowledge and use it to your benefit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

First, it wouldn\u2019t hurt to vet your\u00a0 patients’ medical information resources. The e-patient\u2019s wealth of knowledge is like a diamond in the rough, especially when considering how many patients you see yearly and just how little time you get to dedicate to their personal health information. But too much of it can be derived from misguided sources.<\/p>\n

If you steer the e-patient in the right direction \u2013 teach e-patients how to think more like a doctor, how to interpret medical information and the mechanisms behind how certain conditions improve and worsen \u2013 you can effectively teach them how to perform certain aspects of your job for you, making both your lives easier.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have you encountered e-patients at your practice yet?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

e-patients are involved in their health \u2013 they\u2019re informed, typically very educated and they\u2019re paving the way for a revolution in patient engagement. And contrary to popular belief, the \u2018e\u2019 doesn\u2019t stand for \u2018electronic\u2019 \u2013 it\u2019s intentionally ambiguous, which leaves plenty to the imagination. Naturally, there are downsides to these new, engaged, empowered, and connected […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32788,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trends"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Handle E-Patient Pitfalls - Continuum - CareCloud<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are downsides to the e-patient movement. Read on to find out what they are and how you can prepare yourself. 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