The concept of the ePatient – someone who is equipped, enabled and empowered by digital technology and social networks to make better decisions about their health care (and that of their loved ones) – is no longer a novelty. We have become increasingly familiar with the term and its leading proponents over the past few years.  What is perhaps more novel is the idea that the ePatient of the future will be the norm rather than the exception.

New technologies will enable all of us to monitor our health and gather sophisticated data which in turn will empower us to interact with our healthcare providers in a partnership.  Forced to increasingly take responsibility for our own care in a complex system, digitally savvy health consumers will combine information from doctors, the Web, electronic medical records and other sources to “hack” the health system to educate ourselves, navigate loopholes and ultimately get better, lower cost and faster care.

How this will come about is the subject of a new book by Rohit Bhargava (author of Likeonomics: The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior, and Inspiring Action) and healthcare futurist Fard Johnmar.  Featuring original research and stories of healthcare innovators from across the world, ePatient 2015: 15 Surprising Trends Changing Health Care acts as a guide to the rapid changes taking place in health. It shares 15 trends that are poised to fundamentally change the way health and medical care is delivered and received in the near future.

Read more: http://healthworkscollective.com/marie-ennis-oconnor/147086/epatient-2015-15-surprising-trends-changing-health-care

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