We all want technology to improve communication between doctors and patients.  We fantasize that social tools will open doors and bridge the expanding divide between docs and patients.

I’m wondering if it’s a case of unicorns and rainbows.  Fancy new tools to do the old thing in a less effective way.

I’m guessing that if Facebook was the old platform for doctor-patient dialog and the telephone was invented this year, everyone would be clamoring to use the phone (“Dude, this is amazing…you can hear them talk”)

I like the telephone.  Written copy misses intonation, timing, pitch and all the other rich elements of human speech.  Subtle changes in a parents voice tell me if I’ve made my point and exactly how I need to proceed.  Unspoken words on a screen are so one dimensional.

Of course email has a tightly defined place in patient communication.  And real-time social interaction between patient and clinic will evolve to have a clear role in patient care.  But for now the phone remains one of the most effective tools for helping doctor and patient really understand one another.

Image via Cemagraphics