Health-care Experts to Discuss Challenges and Dilemmas of 'Patient-Driven Care'

Nationally and internationally known health-care experts will gather with patients, health-care providers, students and community members on Saturday, April 6 at Yale, to discuss the challenges and dilemmas of “patient-driven care.”

The colloquium will take place from noon to 5:30 p.m. in Winslow Auditorium of the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale, 60 College Street. The day will end in a town-hall style discussion, and a vote for the most suitable policy option.

“Health care is steadily shifting to a model that rightly puts the ‘power’ of decision into the hands of the patient,” said David Katz, M.D., associate clinical professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale School of Medicine and director of the Integrative Medicine Center (IMC) at Griffin Hospital in Derby.

“However, we have no real guidelines for what to do when a patient’s request is at odds with prevailing practice,” he notes. “This is a particular challenge in the realm of so-called alternative medicine. Is the patient always in charge? Is the doctor? Where is the line drawn, and who decides? The bottom line is, we talk about ‘patient-driven care,’ but no one knows the rules of the road!”

The colloquium was envisioned after a patient with a serious form of cancer requested unconventional treatment at the IMC.

“Patients must have the power to influence their care, but professional judgment and prevailing practice cannot be tossed out,” said Susan Framptom, executive director of Planetree, Inc., a nonprofit organization devoted to patient empowerment. “There are times when the right balance is very difficult to find.”

The objective of the colloquium is to help find that balance, says Katz, noting that many national organizations exist that are devoted to the patient-driven care model. A series of speakers at the event will address such issues as ethics, autonomy, liability and other aspects of patient-centered care.

“We are hoping to start a national dialogue and we intend to publish a summary of the proceedings,” said Katz. “This is an issue that profoundly affects the care people receive in this country - we really must start talking about it.”

The colloquium is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and registration is required. To register, call (203) 732-1367. For more information about the colloquium, contact Lauren Schiller-Liberti at the IMC at (203) 732-1370 or visit the IMC website at www.imc-griffin.org.