First Life Research - Main Search. Living the Path: An Online Community for Health Marketing Communications Pros. E-Patient Dave. E-Patient. An e-patient is a health consumer who participates fully in his/her medical care.
Sometimes referred to as an "internet patient," e-patients see themselves as equal partners with their doctors in the healthcare process. E-patients gather information about medical conditions that impact them and their families, using electronic communication tools (including Web 2.0 tools) in coping with medical conditions.[1] The term encompasses both those who seek guidance for their own ailments and the friends and family members (e-caregivers) who go online on their behalf. e-Patients report two effects of their health research: "better health information and services, and different (but not always better) relationships with their doctors.
" [2] e-Patients are active in their care and are demonstrating the power of the Participatory Medicine or Health 2.0 / Medicine 2.0.[3] model of care. The "e" can stand for electronic but can also stand for:[4] E-Patients. Dave deBronkart. Portrait by Roger Ramirez Richard Davies deBronkart Jr (born February 18, 1950), widely known as e-Patient Dave, is a cancer patient and blogger who, in 2009, became a noted activist for healthcare transformation through participatory medicine and personal health data rights.
Disease and treatment[edit] In January 2007, a routine shoulder x-ray incidentally disclosed a shadow in the lung, which turned out to be metastasized kidney cancer (stage IV, grade 4 renal cell carcinoma). His median survival time at diagnosis was 24 weeks. A member of online communities since CompuServe in 1989, he responded by seeking online resources in addition to receiving treatment at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.[1]