Patients are taking a much more active and involved role in their health care and, in doing so, they can help ensure the accuracy of their health information and its use. The Journal of Participatory Medicine, on its website http://www.jopm.org/ provides the following:

“Participatory Medicine is a model of cooperative health care that seeks to achieve active involvement by patients, professionals, caregivers, and others across the continuum of care on all issues related to an individual’s health. Participatory medicine is an ethical approach to care that also holds promise to improve outcomes, reduce medical errors, increase patient satisfaction and improve the cost of care.”

EVERYONE: Visit the website http://www.jopm.org/ and click on the “Evidence” or “Columns” drop down menus and select an article. Provide a brief summary of the article, and explain in your own words how the approach described can help improve outcomes, reduce medical errors, increase patient satisfaction, and/or improve the cost of care. Add 2-3 sentences with your opinion of the article, the research, or other aspect of what you read.

Responses to others’ postings are encouraged, but not required.