Summary
Objective: To share how an effectual merging of local and online networks in low resource regions
can supplement and strengthen the local practice of patient centered care through
the use of an online digital infrastructure powered by all stakeholders in healthcare.
User Driven Health Care offers the dynamic integration of patient values and evidence
based solutions for improved medical communication in medical care.
Introduction: This paper conceptualizes patient care-coordination through the lens of engaged stakeholders
using digital infrastructures tools to integrate information technology. We distinguish
this lens from the prevalent conceptualization of dyadic ties between clinician-patient,
patient-nurse, clinician-nurse, and offer the holistic integration of all stakeholder
inputs, in the clinic and augmented by online communication in a multi-national setting.
Methods: We analyze an instance of the user-driven health care (UDHC), a network of providers,
patients, students and researchers working together to help manage patient care. The
network currently focuses on patients from LMICs, but the provider network is global
in reach. We describe UDHC and its opportunities and challenges in care-coordination
to reduce costs, bring equity, and improve care quality and share evidence.
Conclusion: UDHC has resulted in coordinated global based local care, affecting multiple facets
of medical practice. Shared information resources between providers with disparate
knowledge, results in better understanding by patients, unique and challenging cases
for students, innovative community based research and discovery learning for all.
Keywords
Medical informatics - International Medical Informatics Association - yearbook, decision
support systems
