The role of the patient is changing. Gone are the days when they were a passive recipient of care. Doctors are now expected to engage patients in their own health, care and treatment. There are also a number of initiatives to foster patient involvement in the design, planning and delivery of health services.
With advances in technology, there is scope for patients to have more control over their care. A raft of apps and digital innovations can help keep patients with long-term conditions at home longer. Patients now manage their own health with the support of doctors.
In a column for the Healthcare Professionals Network, commentator Richard Vize wrote: “The ubiquitous availability of medical information is irrevocably putting more power in the hands of patients.”
He added that in the UK, access to information is growing in a random and patchy way, while the ability of patients to use that information effectively in their discussions with doctors and other clinicians is entirely at the whim of the professional who is seeing them.
How can this be changed? What is the role of technology in empowering patients and healthcare professionals? What examples are there of patients being involved in designing and delivering health services? How can patient feedback play a part? Join our expert panel on Thursday 20 July from 12.30pm to 2pm to answer these questions and more.
The live chat is not video or audio-enabled but will take place in the comments section (below). If you would like to feature on the panel or propose questions, please get in touch via sarah.johnson@theguardian.com or @GdnHealthcare (#Gdnpatients) on Twitter.
Discussion commissioned and controlled by the Guardian, funded by Brother
The panel so far
Michael Seres, blogger and devises social media strategies around patient engagement. He was diagnosed aged 12 with the incurable bowel condition Crohn’s disease
Angela Coulter, senior researcher at the department of public health, University of Oxford
Sophie Castle-Clarke, fellow in health policy, Nuffield Trust
James Munro, chief executive, Care Opinion
Tina Jones, peer mentor, Gellinudd Recovery Centre
