By: Nick Blaylock
In 2011, an article published by Dennis C. Wilder in The Journal of the American Intelligence Professional titled, “An Educated Consumer Is Our Best Consumer” examined the CIA’s 50% approval rating from the general public. Wilder wrote, “although some argue that the IC (Intelligence Community) by its very nature should not have a public profile, that philosophy may be outdated in the Age of New Social Media.1”
He brought forth a valuable point—consumers who are kept in the dark are left to their own devices in explaining the world around them. Wilder’s article is a call for increased transparency in this Digital Age. Transparency that seeks to lessen the void of knowledge that exists between organizations and their consumers. Like the CIA, the level of transparency in the healthcare industry is less than ideal and consumers are becoming more and more skeptical about it.
Before you discount such an idea, consider these results of a 2017 Gallup Poll:
16% of Americans believe the state of our Healthcare system is in crisis and 55% believe there are major problems2. Now, can we really explain in an article whether or not these Americans are correct in their assumptions? No. The point is that the perception is that the only way to find out for sure is through increased transparency. What will that process look like? It will be long and arduous as the Healthcare industry is massive, complicated, and hosts several departments within. We do, however, have to start somewhere.
Why RightDevice?
RightDevice was established for that very reason. As of now, 94% of patients with medical device implants do not know what device is inside their body. Think about that for a moment—you have a device inside of you, and you do not know who manufactured It! You took your doctor’s word. Now, this is not to say by any means that you should not take your doctor’s word. Nothing can replace the advice of your doctor, but why not approach a life-changing decision with as much information as you can?
Medical research can be intimidating, there are lots of long Latin words and sometimes over exaggerations. We have purposely designed our website to mitigate some of that intimidation and enable patients to head into surgery feeling as confident and knowledgeable as possible.
Through increased patient awareness, there will be less opportunity for ambiguity in the healthcare industry.
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References
- Wilder, D. C. (2011). An Educated Consumer Is Our Best Customer. Studies In Intelligence,55, 23-31. Doi:10.1037/E741172011-003
- Gallup. (2017). Healthcare System. Retrieved December 29, 2017, From Http://News.Gallup.Com/Poll/4708/Healthcare-System.Aspx
