Healthcare's Future: Patient-Centered Care And Technology
By Greg Bengel, contributing writer
Medical students around the country participate in survey which indicates their opinions on a host of healthcare topics
The eighth annual Future Physicians of America survey, conducted by Epocrates Inc., may serve as a good indication of what direction the healthcare industry is moving. In the survey, over 1,000 medical students from across the country shared their views on a host of healthcare topics. Reviewing students’ feelings and intentions in regards to their career is enlightening, and it indicates that the healthcare industry may soon be seeing an increased focus on patient-centered care and technology.
An article from 4-Traders summarizes the main take-aways from the survey. First and foremost is that patient-centered care is “the new norm,” and “fully embraced by future physicians.” This infographic on the survey indicates 72 percent of students say they are likely to practice patient-centered care. The survey also reveals 71 percent are satisfied in their bedside manner training, and 67 percent are satisfied with their patient-centered care training.
Second-year student Matt Emery from Wake Forest Medical School is quoted in the 4-Traders article about the importance of patient-centered care. “Say you have patients with type 2 diabetes,” he says. “We can't force them do to what they should do, but we can find out what's preventing them from taking their medications, checking their glucose, exercising, and eating right. We need to understand what's going on in a person's life before we can hope to successfully treat them.”
What else might the survey show us about the future of healthcare? The infographic indicates that 44 percent of students are digital omnivores, meaning that they use a tablet, smart phone, and computer routinely in a professional or academic capacity. Fifty-four percent of students use a tablet in training, which is a 31 percent increase since 2012. Also, only 18 percent are required to use tablets during training, but 67 percent of them use them by choice.
The physicians of the future may be tech-savvy, but, as the survey states, they “draw the line at social media.” Ninety-one percent of students say it is unacceptable to friend a patient on Facebook, and 82 percent think it is unacceptable to discuss a patient online in any capacity.
The survey is packed with more interesting information on med student opinions. Among the other interesting findings, students – much like the country as a whole – are divided on the ultimate impact of the Affordable Care Act. Also, in 2013, 72 percent of students feel they are uninformed about ACOs (though when it comes to the students who do feel informed, 41 percent think ACOs will have a positive effect, whereas only 16 percent feel they will have a negative effect).