The research highlighted some important, fundamental changes taking place in healthcare. Easier access to medical information via the internet (it has been estimated that more than 80 per cent of people seek health information online) is giving people the resources for greater participation in their care.
At the same time, patients are now expecting freer access to their medical records including test results. Many of our focus group participants reported they were already having their test results passed on to them by their doctors and we observed a general acceptance among both public and medical professionals that this would soon become standard practice. Even the most change-resistant personalities considered this a good thing, although most people believed patients required interpretation of results in all but the most routine cases.
There is a global recognition of the benefits of greater patient self-management, especially among people with chronic illnesses. The notion that individuals not institutions take control of their care has been shown to improve outcomes and reduce risks. However, this shift in control and responsibility from medical practitioner to patient is clearly creating tensions.