There are a few one liners that I remember from University and Chiropractic School. One in particular was that a good client history will give you 80% of your diagnosis.
So why is it that in health care today we have the attitude of doctor know’s best?
I can’t tell you the number of times a mom literally gave me the diagnosis of her child before I even had a chance to examine him or her.
In fact, I have a bit of an issue with the 80%, I actually think it’s higher.
In professional schools across the country we need lectures about the value of understanding our client’s stories and less on orthopaedic testing.
If your doctor listened, or had the tools to “hear” your story, I bet there would be less need for expensive testing. Or at least the tests that were ordered would be more useful.
Imagine the number of CT scans alone that could be canceled with a better client history?
[ctt tweet=”Imagine the number of CT scans that could be cancelled with a better client history?” coverup=”nS4cD”]You don’t need to imagine it. In 2008 a research article[ref]http://goo.gl/tDZR3b[/ref]exposed the dramatic wait times because of all the unnecessary images being ordered just because the referring physician went on autopilot, and didn’t make the right call.
The Toronto Star reported that they found “while CT scans of the brain were most commonly ordered for headaches, less than two per cent of those scans revealed a treatable abnormality”.
“Although negative scans certainly have value in ruling out disease, many patients with a very low pre-test probability of disease can be reassured without performing a scan,” the study suggested.
It’s articles like these that make me frustrated, so frustrated in fact that a colleague and I started consulting with communication experts, computer programmers and artificial intelligence experts to come up with an application that would discover a new client’s story (history). They could tell us their story and health concerns and lead doctors into a more accurate diagnosis.
My focus is chiropractic and this application is really helping me discover way more about my clients than a traditional history and “form” ever could.
It’s still pretty rough around the edges but when I sit in my consultation room with a new client, the wonder and excitement they have around the fact that we are at least trying to listen better is encouraging. We’re on the right track.
It is incredible what the marriage of technology and health care is providing for our clients.
[ctt tweet=”It is incredible what the marriage of technology and health care is providing for our clients” coverup=”f2l7c”]Soon, if you want to discover a health care expert in your community that really values understanding your story, all you’ll need to do is see the Qiro logo on their office door or website and you’ll know you’re in the right place.
I’d love to hear your stories of how your health care team is using technology to improve how they serve you. Some of the most innovative discoveries in the next decade will be with the intersection of human health/performance and technology. We are living in exciting times!
Share your health and technology story in the comments below.
