The Patient Will See You Now

The Future of Medicine Is in Your Hands

By: Eric Topol MD

Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer

In The Patient Will See You Now, Eric Topol, one of the nation's top physicians, examines what he calls medicine's "Gutenberg moment". Much as the printing press liberated knowledge from the control of an elite class, new technology is poised to democratize medicine. In this new era, patients will control their data and be emancipated from a paternalistic medical regime in which "the doctor knows best."

Mobile phones, apps, and attachments will literally put the lab and the ICU in our pockets. Computers will replace physicians for many diagnostic tasks, and enormous data sets will give us new means to attack conditions that have long been incurable. In spite of these benefits, the path forward will be complicated; some in the medical establishment will resist these changes, and digitized medicine will raise serious issues surrounding privacy. Nevertheless, the result - better, cheaper, and more humane health care for all - will be worth it.

©2015 Eric Topol (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Dr. Eric Topol is a pioneer of the medicine of the future and the future is now! Read this book and empower yourself for total well-being." ---Deepak Chopra

the future is here

Terrific overview of how technology available today, coupled with a mindset shift in clinician thinking, can go a long way towards improving health care for all.

Future of Medicine--Clear, Concise, Mind Blowing!

Listen to this audiobook if you are wondering how the field of medicine in this country could be in the near future. Eric Topol, MD, certainly has the experience and credentials to make very valid predictions. Check out his Wiki if you don't believe me.

A few of the many surprising things he predicts are diagnosis, testing, and ongoing monitoring by use of Smart Phones, hospitals with no beds with homes being medically equipped instead, no need for doctor's office visits, good medical care for all socioeconomic groups (what a concept), and individualized medical care. This would include more patient input on their own medical care and choices of treatment by making all medical info available to the individual, such as test results and doctor notes.

This is a very brief summary that I have included above. There is so more I haven't mentioned. All of it fascinating!

Topoll's predictions are mind-blowing and something for us to look forward to and hope for, while fully acknowledging the medical profession's conservative stance and unwillingness toward change.

This is an important book and a great listen. It moves quickly and easily with a fine narration. Highly recommended.

Provocative

A provocative look at the future of medicine. With the rapid changes in the landscape of medical care, this is a must read for physicians, and more importantly for those who direct medical practices.

Very good info; slow start

Dr. Topol has written an extremely needed book about the state of our healthcare system and the digital changes on the horizon. My biggest complaint is that it started off pretty slow with the whole printing press & medical paternalism sections. I don’t think he needed nearly enough time to make those points, since most people already know them. The information at the end—when he got into the actual digital technologies themselves and their potential disruptive impact—was where he really shined. Well worth the read for anyone interested in the coming digital disruption to American medicine.

The Patient

I discovered this breakthrough book. This book is about how to liberate yourself from a medical community that does not want you to know how to diagnose yourself. It is a book that shows you how to diagnose yourself with a smartphone.

Change in Medicine a Good Thing

Well read, well written and well researched. Dr. Topol has presented a compelling case for systemic changes in healthcare. For US readers this is very helpful in rethinking why healthcare is so expensive and question why it needs to be. A must read as we continue to grapple with healthcare issues at every level.

eye opener

this book really opened my eyes to the inefficiency of our current antiquated medical system.

Socialist bent but brilliant none the less

Eric appears to be a socialist so you'll view the advances that we have the opportunity to embrace through that lens. But the information is spectacular and his vision of the future for medicine is exciting even if I see its implementation from a radically different libertarian perspective.

Future of Medicine

A lot of insight about how medicine needs to change by allowing the patient to be responsible for their own care and their medical data as well as information about what is already available ie DNA testing, smart phone apps and equipment, using portable ultrasounds that replace stethoscopes! And much more! I have been a nurse for many years and there was much in this book I had never heard of or expected to be possible... Of course my concern would be with the average person's almost complete inability to make good decisions based on their health data because of their poor understanding of the body and schools do almost nothing to address health in a meaningful way (not even nursing schools cover the basics of what to do re minor every day health issues) . I work at a call center for a large heath plan that is prevention based and we talk people out of rushing to the emergency room all day long for fevers, ear pain, stuffed noses, sprains and 100s of other non-emergent issues. We also educate them on simple things like heartburn and constipation that require a caring person to listen to their fears and assure them there are solutions.

Future medicine

Comprehensive survey of the the future of medicine and the merging with artificial intelligence and big data and population analytics.