Patient Education Patient Education and the Internet Randale C. Sechrest, MD Patient education is getting a lot of attention in the United States lately. Perhaps this is a result of the waning credibility of managed care as patients realize that it is in their best interest to accumulate as much information as possible about their proposed healthcare - to protect themselves. The fact is that patient education has always been important. It is only now that the healthcare system recognizes the importance of communication with its customers that the topic has received a considerable amount of discussion. Most managed care organizations focus on patient education because it is perceived to increase patient satisfaction with services and is perceived to have the potential to decrease costs.
Patient education is simply a good marketing tool as well.
With an estimated 71 million people in the US now accessing the Internet for information it is not surprising that a great deal of health related information is appearing on the Internet. Those of us involved with the OrthoGate Project recognize the need for quality patient education materials on the Internet. Several members of the project are currently involved with the creation of a comprehensive collection of patient education materials that can be utilized by orthopedic surgeons, hospitals and patients alike - on a global basis. These materials will be available in a variety of digital formats so that the information can be distributed and used in the most appropriate format for the situation. The appropriate format may mean a highly interactive multimedia webpage in some situations, while a black and white printed brochure may be more realistic in others.