How does digitalisation change patient empowerment and the doctor-patient relationship?

Information becomes more symmetrically distributed (apps, electronic patient records) and expectations rise ("Dr. Google"), but informed consent needs good-quality information, and knowledge alone does not create autonomy. The doctor's role shifts towards explaining (coach, interpreter, mathematician?), while keeping attention on the patient rather than the screen.

Patient empowerment:

• Information, the patient's most important resource, will be more symmetrically distributed (apps, electronic patient records).
• Expectations may be high ("Dr. Google", knowledge of therapy options).
• But informed consent requires quality of information.
• Self-help groups' experience with apps: not without moderation, independent of companies.
• Reciprocity: if patients consent to costly therapies, they can be expected to cooperate, e.g. by using the accompanying apps.

Doctor-patient relationship, the central arena of autonomy in medicine:

• Knowledge does not always promote autonomy: it also requires understanding and being able to take responsibility for oneself and others. This may make the doctor's role more about explaining in shared decision-making, which costs extra time.
• Future role of the doctor: coach, interpreter/mediator, mathematician?
• If AI handles the "simple" cases, where do young doctors learn the basics they need for the complex ones?
• On the relationship level, attention must stay on the patient: "There are already enough doctors who only look at the screen while talking to patients."

Go deeper:

• Wikipedia: Doctor–patient relationship — models of the relationship and how technology affects it.
• Wikipedia: Patient participation — patient empowerment and involvement in decisions.