The Nobel Prize-winning economist Kenneth Arrow in 1963 raised a basic feature of the relationship between the health system and its professionals to patients: the information asymmetry. This concept is very simple: the health professional has more knowledge than the patient. Although the patient knows how you feel and that hurts or bothers, is the professional who can advise in relation to the care or treatment you need.

Logically, the patient just letting the professional advise on its decision. Moreover, most often, the patient will just deciding what proposed. This is called in economics imperfect agency relationship, “as I have no idea, give me some advice and I will continue to literally”.

Although you have seen that we talk about economics, concepts are not really different from what we see every day in a query or in an emergency door. Moreover, the difference of information is one of the reasons for the development of a paternalistic health system like ours, which has been built almost thinking of a patient being treated and the health board. But the patient learns, is interested and wants to take care of their disease, but with the advice and counsel of professional reference. That plus the knowledge of his illness is what the English call empowerment and here we do not know what to call it, but there was an attempt to approach the concept through collaborative herein.

The problem is not that we want to put a label on this new type of patient, a patient who knows how to move online, you can search and ask other professionals and patients, and even read magazines. The problem is that the health system is not ready for these patients, and now we are full of care and monitoring processes and monitoring but keep in mind that some patients want more information, more autonomy, more communication with your health. And we can not give …

What’s more, some professionals are lost in these patients, they know how to treat them, to give, to offer, and make decisions jointly. It is necessary to take another step and be a “partner” of the patient, his “partner” means a person who guides and points the target but does not give any fact. Does it depend on the change of university education in college? Perhaps the fundamental problem is that we still want to treat diseases (diagnosis and treatment) and we do not realize that patients are people, with their concerns and needs.

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The health system must understand that everything revolves and everything changes, and as indicated in this graph (extracted from the article “Adoption, non-adoption, and abandonment of a Personal Electronic Health Record: Case Study of HealthSpace”), which before was wrong seen, now associated with a high quality health. And so the new health model this information age begins to the importance of social networks (face and online), to self-care and the patient’s role in their own condition.

After a week of apparent silence online, relaxing few dospuntocérico and conversations across networks, all we can do is try to compile a brief summary of what happened during those days blogs often starring our Google Reader Feedly .

Next Sunday rest so that you may enjoy your holiday processions or whatever you want. So there will be short or anything like that from time to time to stop.

We started with our selection of links this week:

Not exactly healthy but has caught our attention is Juan Carlos Cubeiro input on rules of Pixar to create a great story. For those who like to create stories, you can not miss these tips.

We already have single vaccination schedule. Pilar, on his blog The Pildorita 2.0, makes a very interesting analysis of the new features included. One of the essential inputs of the week.

Among the more healthy habits that are recommended and promoted, physical activity and exercise are at the top. In Lifehacker tell us the role of music as a motivator for running or exercising.

Sophie tells a story about marrow donation and legal aspects that many people are unaware. Everything in Medical Mondo.

One area of ​​concern to the professionals, and more in a rating and review forums, online reputation is. In this article in the New York Times talking about reputation and the role of internet, and have the new book by Kevin MD.

There are posts that title alone already worth. On the website of Forbes found one way: Is it ethical to prescribe placebos? Margaret McCartney in his blog collects a good number of references on placebo.

The online presence of the pharmaceutical industry is always under surveillance. In this entry of Pharma Marketing Blog discusses whether to supervision by regulatory bodies in Facebook conversations, all in USA territory.

A case in the book of the medicalization of life brings us Rehabilitation Blog with an ad campaign that associates the pain and happiness, or something. ? “Life hurts, but we like it”? Ola ke? Ase?

Twitter turns seven and begins to have its own story. Reading Science Roll blog, we find an entry in which Bertalan Mesko says that the first twitterview of life was the one made twitter Medical Journal (of the hand of Alain Ochoa) Bertalan himself in December 2008. Logically, we remember the twitterview in which we participate (in June 2009).

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50 years ago was released the first album by The Beatles, that mythical Please Please Me. Anyone who bought it and put it from beginning to end, just started listening to these chords …

Curious and almost clairvoyant recent history 36-page special report in Time magazine on health spending in the U.S. and its effects on the health of Americans. The title is striking (“Bitter Pill: Why medical bills are killing us”) but that does not help much at length in capturing readers. And yet, in this age of content soon, a time filled headlines and reasoning than 140 characters, this report has come to light.

And not only that, in Politikon and the New York Times tell us that this is one of the reports that more and more readers online sales has occurred in recent years. A topic of interest, a complete and well-crafted story and bang … turns out that in this case the city does want to know more. Yes, a long story surrounded by new media (or always) short content-focused and immediate, is striking.

An example of what we consider the article as in this example of glucose test strips, which are billed to the patient at 18 euros each, when the cost is infinitely less:

The bet of Time magazine enables complete the report with comments from readers about health care bills (carry over 800), specific examples of bills for procedures and social reactions and debates on twitter or blog posts. By the way, if you want to read a summary of the full report (of over 20,000 words), here is the abstract published by Slate.

In 2011 we published a post about the Mediterranean diet and marketing, in which we said that in many cases there is pressure from the food industry to ensure that certain foods are included in this type of diet.

Was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine an article entitled “Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet” signed by a group of Spanish researchers, which states that the Mediterranean diet reduces the incidence of cardiovascular events in people with cardiovascular risk. Its publication has also managed to attract the attention of even the New York Times, but we learned more reading the blog review of Clinical and Health Management.

Logically, with advances like this, healthy diet (like the Mediterranean) remains a key element in improving the health of individuals. But is again a magnet for more companies seek to associate their brand with these diets? Predimed study, which is the source of that article, includes on its website a “shopping list” with products considered included in the Mediterranean diet.

Will they turn advertising pressures? Will we queue for such lists “official”? Or are created agencies to separate the grain “Mediterranean” straw?

Logically, with advances like this, healthy diet (like the Mediterranean) remains a key element in improving the health of individuals. But is again a magnet for more companies seek to associate their brand with these diets? Predimed study, which is the source of that article, includes on its website a “shopping list” with products considered included in the Mediterranean diet.

Will they turn advertising pressures? Will we queue for such lists “official”? Or are created agencies to separate the grain “Mediterranean” straw?

What if we miss the train? What if after gathering ideas, evidence, studies, thoughts, ideas, white papers and other documents of departure is that business as usual? What if almost nobody wants to change and prefer business as usual? And if you happen to prefer to live without stress knowing that we can do things better?

Now the thinkers are the kings, and doers seem dangerous agitators. Politicians are wrong to want to change (do not know that can happen and fear grips them), also heads (lost his leadership), pressure groups such as unions or colleges are scared (can not get the medal if change goes well) and many professionals are quieter and do nothing, do not forget that the effort and desire to improve are not paid.

And while we? Cast doubt, promote new scenarios and take steps, even leaps as children. All great change begins with a jump, with a risk, with a nervous smile, the kind of “I’m going to crash but if I fly, it’s going to be great.”

Sundays without complacency and little common sense. Sundays square and bevel take to design a blank page the new foundation. Happy day to all. We start with our summary:

Elizabeth Loder speaks in his blog on the BMJ paper journals can play in controlling the phenomenon known as “disease mongering”. Given that any new “disease” requires the endorsement of an article in a journal of high impact, it is imperative that magazines get wet.

In this era of excess (clear information), the healing of content is essential. The New Technologies Blog Somamfyc we present an initiative of the Andalusian Society of Family Medicine pontealdiaAP that collects call spread knowledge for almost 50 users through twitter.

There are posts that just by reading the title and catch your eye. Those posts that put the nail on the head, which seems to cause seeking. The blog of Kevin MD find this title “What nurses can learn from doctors?” and do not speak or clinical skills or knowledge. And to complete the learning a step further: Can we learn from Starbucks? This time at MD Whistleblower.

Is there a relationship between the crisis and the number of suicides in Spain? In Politikon analyze the latest data from the INE and offer an interesting reflection on the topic. Indeed, Spain has one of the lowest rates of suicide, and interestingly is the lowest of the Greek.

The Nerdy Nurse tells us his thoughts on the robes and their crucial role in healthcare organizations. Do not miss your entry: 4 Reasons scrubs hospitals have policies.

Typically fame may never come, but sometimes appears for a day or two in our lives. At that time when all eyes look at you, nothing can fail. And if something goes wrong, because … The conclusions in this article from El País.

Brutal video of parodying the famous James McCormack Somebody That I used to know to talk about evidence, studies, tests, etc.. The title of the song: Some studies That I like to quote. He picks it up with lyrics translated Rafa Bravo.

Times are changing, much more than in the Dylan song. First in the Calvo blog with Barba make clear (a lot) the engagement, participation and collaboration do not matter as much appears certain economic interest. Moreover, in speaking of health marks its author @ ciberfefo throws stones on the roof of the advertisers (and your own) claiming that advertising in the health field has escaped the hands of the agencies.

In the scope of the initiative # edcivemerg, the pellet 2.0 blog begins a series of posts with information for first aid at school. In the first, he tells us to do to a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).

We ended up with a field in which we still have much room for improvement: patient safety. The AHRQ has a list of improvement initiatives in this area that really work. Now is not the time to look over, but to act.

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The point of music is to Aretha Franklin in that mythical film The Blues Brothers. Sunday in full swing, thanks for being there.