The Patient Will See You Now by Eric Topol — Summary, Key Ideas & Quotes

"In The Patient Will See You Now, Eric Topol, one of the nation's top physicians, examines what he calls medicine's "Gutenberg moment." Much as the printing press liberated knowledge from the control of an elite class, new technology--from the smartphone to machine learning--is poised to democratize medicine. In this new era, patients will control their data and be emancipated from a paternalistic medical regime in which "the doctor knows best." Mobile phones, apps, and attachments will literally put the lab and the ICU in our pockets. Computers will replace physicians for many diagnostic tasks, and enormous data sets will give us new means to attack conditions that have long been incurable. In spite of these benefits, the path forward will be complicated: some in the medical establishment will resist these changes, and digitized medicine will raise serious issues surrounding privacy. Nevertheless, the result--better, cheaper, and more humane health care for all--will be worth it. The Patient Will See You Now is essential reading for anyone who thinks they deserve better health care. That is, for all of us."--

"In The Patient Will See You Now, Eric Topol, one of the nation's top physicians, examines what he calls medicine's Gutenberg moment--much as the printing press took learning out of the hands of a priestly class, the internet is doing the same for medicine, giving us unprecedented control over our healthcare. With smartphones in hand, we are no longer beholden to an impersonal and paternalistic medical system. Medicine has been digitized, Topol argues, now it's time for it to be democratized. Provocative and engrossing, The Patient Will See You Now is about all that lies ahead in a world of digital, democratic medicine, including fair discussion of a range of potential downsides, from privacy violations to intransigence on the part of the medical powers that be. Indeed, though many in the medical establishment will resist Topol's vision, he argues convincingly that medicine has been authoritarian for far too long, and that not changing the course of medicine will incur steep costs for us all. It's time to put the tools of medicine, and the power that goes with them, into the hands of the people"--