Tweeted by @kevinmd
"Women’s right to vote and the e-patient movement"
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2014/06/womens-right-vote-e-patient-movement.htmlAll of this may sound familiar to patients whose opinions are considered not worth hearing because, after all, they’re only patients, so what could they know?
This is directly relevant to cases where a physician feels that their authority is challenged by a patient who thinks.
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I never really thought about all of these issues too much before, but I've had several experiences now that make me see their importance. One experience, especially, left a mark.
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A confession - I personally often learn more from our FAS forum threads than from published allergy research papers. I bet, though, that not many non-patient medical professionals really truly "hear" what we say here ... maybe I'm wrong. I listen carefully to what the experts say, but do most of the experts truly hear us? I don't know. Maybe they sometimes hear but sometimes don't like what we say (or how we say it) ... as a group, we do tend to talk back & challenge things frequently ... I think that this is both a strength & a weakness.
Granted, my people skills are a little rough around the edges, but when I've reached out trying to communicate, it is not uncommon to be ignored by the experts or to have the conversation cut short before my concerns/questions/ideas/suggestions/criticisms are fully addressed. I do tend to be sometimes annoyingly persistent. I see the importance and value of listening to the experts, but are patients in general (not just at FAS) truly listened to?
I think increased communication would be a good thing. Ignoring issues often just make them grow.
Most of us want what is best for those with FA ... I wish we could work together more often ... but we can't dodge the difficult questions/issues ... it has to be real ... not just nice/polite.
Just rambling.