Ep 142

Dr. Roni Zeiger

Smart Patients

This week’s Conversation That Matters features Dr. Roni Zeiger who left his role as Google’s Chief Health Strategist to create Smart Patients, an on-line network of what he calls, “micro-experts”. Zeiger says, “we believe patients are the most underutilized resource in health care”

Far too many patients are uncertain, they don’t fill prescriptions or when they do they don’t take the medication. Zeiger believes the medical profession has created silos where the patient has questions that keep coming up once they’ve left the doctor's office. He goes on to say they talk to one another all the time and frequently follow the recommendations of a friend with confidence because they witnessed the result or simply believe them.

Zeiger decided to create the forum that lets patients talk to one another about their specific health issue secure in the knowledge that a medical professional is monitoring the conversation to ensure the information is valid as well as offer further insights.

Conversations That Matter is a partner program with the Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for these important and engaging Conversations shaping our future.

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