Editor’s note: I’m enthusiastic enough about this that it may sound like a commercial, but it’s not, except that it’s a great example of the change I want to see in the world! I have no stake in this, and The Medical Futurist Institute makes no money on this, including related services. It’s a public service.

As patient empowerment spreads and gains acceptance, I’ve repeatedly observed an important gap: patients and clinicians, especially in primary care, are not sure what to do about this big “internet” thing. It’s not enough to encourage googling, because there’s junk on the internet. The best of all worlds is when my trusted authority – my primary care provider – is also my trusted guide to apps and websites.

But how do we structure these discussions? Most clinicians have had no training.