Doctors as educators
by Megan Rooney — November 16, 2011
A friend of mine recently had an annual exam with a gynecologist she hadn’t seen before. During her visit, she was surprised when the doctor produced a PowerPoint presentation that plotted her reproductive lifespan and, at 29, told her exactly where she stood.
I’ve always been in support of straightforward health information. On the other hand, being offered a formal presentation that illustrates how quickly one’s biological clock is ticking may be a bit much.
This brings me to a question: Should physicians be educators?
My typical experience with doctors is that they listen to my concerns, check them out, and if needed, they prescribe something. But what about teaching patients how to stay healthy? Or ensuring that women fully understand that if they want children, they should seriously consider doing so before age 35 to avoid potential risk?
Some health professionals have embraced their educator role. Dr. Suzy Hall, for example, uses Facebook to educate patients about health issues. Her facebook page addresses common questions women have, such as will birth control pills make you gain weight or what is a “partial hysterectomy.”
MD Anderson’s Focused on Health page offers tips such as healthy gift ideas or how to prepare for a doctor’s appointment.
Though some of the posts are obvious, I always look forward to seeing them in my news feed. I like knowing that an expert is either affirming or enhancing my understanding about my health.
What do you think? Should doctors take on an educator role? How can they balance this role with their many other responsibilities?