HOW TO Answer Patient Questions About Digital Health – Our Guide

What should a patient share in an e-mail with their doctor? What are the most reliable online medical sources? Which wearables or health sensors are worth recommending? As many people Google their symptoms, start using technologies for health-related issues and communicate with providers via digital means, we summarize the most frequently asked patient questions and the physicians’ potential responses in our Guide To Ask Me About Digital. By reading it, you can confidently use the Ask Me About Digital badge and navigate through questions of digital health.

Dr. Bertalan Mesko, PhD
Dr. Bertalan Mesko, PhD

5 min | 7 March 2019

ask me about digital guide

THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2019. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE

What should a patient share in an e-mail with their doctor? What are the most reliable online medical sources? Which wearables or health sensors are worth recommending? As many people Google their symptoms, start using technologies for health-related issues and communicate with providers via digital means, we summarize the most frequently asked patient questions and physicians’ potential responses in our Guide To Ask Me About Digital. By reading it, you can confidently use the Ask Me About Digital badge and navigate through questions about digital health.

What is The Guide?

We designed the Guide first of all for medical professionals who are using or about to use the Ask Me About Digital badge or pin in their daily medical work. In addition, we encourage every physician, nurse, and caretaker who has an interest in the latest technologies and wants to step up to the challenges of the 21st century to skim through the Guide.

Think you already know the digital health universe? Scroll down and test your knowledge!

Overall, the Guide prepares healthcare professionals for ways of listening and answering patients’ questions related to digital health issues. This FAQ offers a framework on how to respond to the latest challenges in the patient-doctor communication. However, you as the doctor, the nurse or other medical specialists can fill in the void with content according to your own practice, specialty, patients, experiences, local customs, and specific conditions.

Download The Guide here.

patient questions ask me about digital guide

What is the Ask Me About Digital badge?

The badge, sticker or pin on a physician’s door or a nurse’s clothing aims to be an ice breaker, a conversation starter and a reassurance for patients that the individual in the consulting position is open to a conversation about digital topics concerning healthcare.

The symptom checker app or just “Dr. Google” found something suspicious? The Fitbit Surge showed a strange value? You’re not sure whether you can allow your patients to add you on Facebook? You have no idea where to turn to with such questions?

Look up the Guide and be more confident when it comes to questions about medical fake news, health apps, health sensors, trackers, genetic tests, etc. Moreover, by becoming more open towards new technologies, and showing your willingness to have this type of conversation by putting the Ask Me About Digital on your door, transition into a new era in healthcare will be smoother.

As we know that change is difficult, we also offer a community of like-minded individuals on LinkedIn to share experiences and discuss steps forward. Join the group here.

Why did we launch the Ask Me About Digital campaign?

Our team started the campaign in June 2018 with the primary goal of bridging a communication gap between patients and primary care physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals regarding topics related to digital health. Although many patients use online tools to get medical advice, they are often reluctant to discuss their findings with their doctors out of fear or embarrassment, as they don’t know whether they would be open towards such a conversation.

By becoming more open to talking about the latest technologies, it will also be easier to clear up misconceptions around innovative tools, and this might help the adoption of relevant digital health innovation in the future. Since the fear of the unknown is taken out of the equation, less tech-savvy medical professionals and patients might embrace them faster.

Parallel to the gradual adoption of digital health technologies, physicians and nurses could slowly take note of the easing burden in their daily tasks. As patients will get used to the fact that reliable online sources, apps or health sensors could give answers to their simpler medical questions, medical professionals could save some of their valuable time to deal with complex cases, finish their daily tasks on time – and spend more time with their families. After all, physician burnout is currently one of the most acute problems to solve all over the world.

Finally, our ultimate goal is to make the use of the badge unnecessary. We imagine a world where it is natural to have a conversation about digital health issues between patients and caregivers without any signs advertising it. As we cannot be further away from this scenario, let’s take the first steps together!

Download The Guide here and ask for your badge or pin at badge@medicalfuturist.com for free.

 

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