A patient overwhelmed with the complexities of her program should prompt a simplification of her treatment. But what happens when simplifying, i.e. changing, has a new and steep learning curve and disrupts established routines? How should minimally disruptive medicine (MDM) deal with this problem.
A patient comes to see her diabetes doctor every 3 months at great burden to her (get a ride, company, time). When the MDM clinician seeks simplification of the follow up schedule with less intense schedule the patient feels abandoned. What is the role of e-health in this setting?
At a meeting of entrepreneurs in Minneapolis, MN I challenged them to consider patient disruption as a target for innovation and non disruption as a design criterion for new technologies for patients with chronic disease.
And the challenges of this new approach keep piling up…