Nothing can stop the “patient revolution”. For some doctors this is the sign of deconsecration of medicine. For others, it is a new opportunity for patients’ autonomy.
Patients will be improving our approach of research as they are improving our approach of teaching medicine.
Medical Students of Paris Descartes Medical School are enjoying a course given by patients themselves (2). This teaching enables an open and direct discussion to define what patients are really expecting from doctors and medicine. With this ethical approach, medical students are improving their care relevance.
This “patient revolution” is also a special demand for more accountability in medical practice and research. We should direct “education, research and service activities towards addressing the priority health concerns of the community, region, and/or nation [we] have a mandate to serve”(3).
As a Global Consensus for Social Accountability of Medical Schools exists (4) (5), we appeal to any other initiative of Social Accountability.
Congratulations to the BMJ for this fundamental ethical initiative (6). Now we hope others journals will take up this idea and apply it.
(1). Richards T, Montori VM, Godlee F, Lapsley P, Paul D. Let the patient revolution begin. BMJ. 2013 May 14;346(may14 1):f2614–f2614.
(2). Piccoli M. Passer de l’Etudiant Médecin au Médecin Responsable : Malaise et problématiques éthiques des étudiants en Médecine Etude transversale sur les étudiants en DCEM 3 de Paris Descartes. Mémoire de recherche en Master 2. Université Paris René Descartes; 2012.
(3). Boelen C, Heck JE. Defining and Measuring the Social Accountability of Medical Schools. Division of Development of Human Resources for Health, World Health Organization; 1995.
(4). Boelen C. [Global consensus on social accountability of medical schools]. Sante Publique. 2011 Jun;23(3):247–50.
(5). Global Consensus for Social Accountability of Medical Schools [Internet]. [cited 2014 Feb 4]. Available from: http://healthsocialaccountability.org/
(6). Godlee F. Towards the patient revolution. BMJ. 2014 Jan 29;348(jan29 1):g1209–g1209.
Competing interests:
No competing interests
05 February 2014
Benoit V. TUDREJ
General Practitioner, PhD Student
Pr. Christian Hervé
Laboratoire d'Ethique Médicale et de Médecine Légale, EA4569, Université Paris Descartes
Rapid Response:
Re: Towards the patient revolution
Nothing can stop the “patient revolution”. For some doctors this is the sign of deconsecration of medicine. For others, it is a new opportunity for patients’ autonomy.
Patients will be improving our approach of research as they are improving our approach of teaching medicine.
Medical Students of Paris Descartes Medical School are enjoying a course given by patients themselves (2). This teaching enables an open and direct discussion to define what patients are really expecting from doctors and medicine. With this ethical approach, medical students are improving their care relevance.
This “patient revolution” is also a special demand for more accountability in medical practice and research. We should direct “education, research and service activities towards addressing the priority health concerns of the community, region, and/or nation [we] have a mandate to serve”(3).
As a Global Consensus for Social Accountability of Medical Schools exists (4) (5), we appeal to any other initiative of Social Accountability.
Congratulations to the BMJ for this fundamental ethical initiative (6). Now we hope others journals will take up this idea and apply it.
(1). Richards T, Montori VM, Godlee F, Lapsley P, Paul D. Let the patient revolution begin. BMJ. 2013 May 14;346(may14 1):f2614–f2614.
(2). Piccoli M. Passer de l’Etudiant Médecin au Médecin Responsable : Malaise et problématiques éthiques des étudiants en Médecine Etude transversale sur les étudiants en DCEM 3 de Paris Descartes. Mémoire de recherche en Master 2. Université Paris René Descartes; 2012.
(3). Boelen C, Heck JE. Defining and Measuring the Social Accountability of Medical Schools. Division of Development of Human Resources for Health, World Health Organization; 1995.
(4). Boelen C. [Global consensus on social accountability of medical schools]. Sante Publique. 2011 Jun;23(3):247–50.
(5). Global Consensus for Social Accountability of Medical Schools [Internet]. [cited 2014 Feb 4]. Available from: http://healthsocialaccountability.org/
(6). Godlee F. Towards the patient revolution. BMJ. 2014 Jan 29;348(jan29 1):g1209–g1209.
Competing interests: No competing interests