For more, visit: https://patientrevolution.org/

Last weekend I had the pleasure of speaking and attending the Colorado AHEC Engaging Communities in Education & Research conference.The conference is focused on providing rural preceptors across all health disciplines with education and connections with community partners.Included a wide spectrum of providers and community members.There was of course, a lot of content and a panel discussion surrounding the opioid epidemic and the ravages it has had on our state.

The highlight of the conference for me was the impassioned and hard hitting keynote address from Dr. Victor Montori.In his address he powerfully told through stories how industrialized medicine has utterly failed patients and providers.In essence, the mission of medicine has been corrupted by greed and it has stopped caring.The results of this not only harms patients but it is also “killing the healer’s soul.”He provided multiple examples best described by the passage in his essay;

“It pulls at my heart when I see what has happened to the patient in front of me: files filled with the results of tests and procedures, 12 medications, multiple specialists, and notes that reveal that no one ever stopped to notice.”

How many times have we sat across from that patient with multiple diagnosis, providers, medications, and procedures yet still not well?I believe, like Dr. Montori that we must revolt against this.Dr. Motori ended his presentation with a call for solidarity amongst healers and patients that is grounded in integrity. This allows for “elegant” care for “this” patient and “love” returning to care of fellow humans.

I would urge all of the readers to read and share his book Why We Revolt- A patient revolution for careful and kind care.We can do better!