At the Joseph H. Kanter Family Foundation’s Learning Health System Summit, at the National Press Club in Washington last month, I was asked to deliver a dinner speech about the power of information to improve the effectiveness of medical care – not just for patients, but for every doctor and nurse at the bedside. Because everyone performs better when they’re better informed.
Important: This was my first major speech that’s not about patient engagement per se – it’s about the value of information, to everyone engaged in any aspect of health or care.
Clinicians, policy makers, everyone can only perform at the top of their training if the relevant information is available where and when it’s needed. That’s IT, baby – information technology – but it’s also culture. We need the will to bring the info to the point of care – and to put an end to information that dies on the vine, unused. We can do it!
If you can’t see the video, click here to view it directly on Vimeo.
About the event:
The Kanter Family Foundation “was born of the frustrations [Joseph Kanter] faced as a prostate cancer patient unable to obtain scientific evidence about ‘what works best’ in health care, based on the collective real-world experiences of other patients – evidence that would have helped me, and others like me, make better informed, life-or-death health decisions.”
KFF envisions a “learning health system,” fueled by information. They invited me to speak about the impact this issue can have on patients.
Regina Holliday, who was present, responded on Facebook to my remark “You know it’s becoming a revolution when the artists show up” by saying:
“Folks can’t go around shouting ‘Data Liberación!’ and not expect a painter to show up :)”