PUTTING PATIENTS FIRST-How To Heal Our Sick Health Care System

The Empowered Patient Conference in Mumbai on 20th October.2010.

Nehru Center - 10am - 1.30pm

HELP is pleased to organize The Empowered Patient Conference in Mumbai on 20th October.2010.

Traditionally, Indian patients were passive and were quite happy to leave all medical decisions to the doctor . However , times have changed, and internet positive patients are hungry for information and want to work in partnership with their doctor. This is a huge challenge – and a great opportunity as
well . We feel patients are the largest untapped healthcare resource and that Information Therapy is Powerful Medicine !

In partnership with the Patient Information Forum, UK, HELP is organizing The Empowered Patient Conference. Our keynote speaker will be Mr Mark Duman, President of PiF ( http://www.pifonline.org.uk/home/)

Information Therapy can help patients (and health insurance companies !) save money on medical care by

1. Promoting SelfCare and helping them to do as much for themselves as they can

2. Helping them with Evidence-Based Guidelines , so that they can ask for the right medical treatment that they need – no more and no less

3. Helping them with Veto Power, so they can say No to medical care they don’t need, thus preventing overtesting and unnecessary surgery .

Information Therapy is good for doctors and hospitals as well, as patients who are well-informed have realistic expectations of their treatment. They are much more likely to have a good medical outcome and much less likely to sue.

How can we all work together – doctors, patients, hospitals, health insurance companies and IT companies , to ensure that patients are at the heart of everything we do in healthcare ?