Fear seems to be a universal theme in healthcare.  I see it everywhere. In fact, we live in a culture of fear.

Doctors are afraid.  Hospital administrators worry.  Industry jumps at its own shadow.  We fear malpractice, privacy transgressions and issues with federal compliance.  Most of us are afraid of new things.  But what we need most is new new perspectives and new ways of doing things.

Take social dialog, more specifically. Doctors hide behind fear of lawsuits. Hospital administrators play the HIPAA card.  Industry plays the a victim of government.

Fear may be the single biggest factor holding us from real innovation in health care.  Patients seem to be the most fearless.  As the recipients of a depersonalized system for so many years perhaps they see themselves as having nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Young people are also fearless – ignorance is bliss.  Perhaps we need to put a bunch of 20-year-old patients in charge of changing health care.

Most of us are afraid of something.  Strategies for health care innovation need to address fear as a critical first step toward buy-in.

Image via Aaron Tejedor on Unsplash.