In a soon-to-be-published article, Ruth Gardiner argues,

we are seeing a shift from the ‘informed patient’ which has resulted from improved access to healthcare information, primarily from the Web, to the ‘participative patient’ as we move into Web 2.0 territory.

This is a “major turning point” according to Gardiner, “that could present greater challenges for healthcare professionals, organizations and the patient or client.” How will providers adapt? What impact will Google et al. have in their attempts to “own” the health care consumer? And how will even newer information technologies — such as digital video change the healthcare landscape, she asks.

The distinction Gardiner makes is an important one. The first notion is almost universally perfunctory now: the ‘informed patient’ is either the product of the patient’s own initiative, or a point in the patient care process where he or she gets to sign the consent and waiver form. In short, a tolerated but necessary legal exercise.

But the second notion implies that attention to the patient’s awareness of the relevant information and risks at the proper time is an essential and critical component of the total care experience; a mindfulness and respect for the patient exhibited at every point, by every care provider.

Gardiner puts to question the impact of information technologies on this aspect of medical care. And to a certain extent she is right to ask, since, in many ways, the push of information technology has brought us to a place where it is now possible to serve the “participant patient” in ways that could not have been conceived only a few decades ago.