Sarah Krüg studies the Patient-Doctor relationship and uses the analogy of the continuous give and take in the “Tango” to illustrate the foundation of balanced partnership and connection. In a thought-provoking talk, she shares insights from her work, as well as personal stories that demonstrate the need to leverage the voice of the patient in healthcare. Sarah Krüg is CEO of CANCER101, a patient advocacy organization whose mission is to help patients and caregivers navigate the cancer journey and partner with their healthcare team to make informed decisions. Sarah is the founder of Health Collaboratory, a global healthcare transformation consultancy that creates impact through patient engagement strategies, medical education strategies for clinicians, and platforms that pave the path for co-design and collaboration in healthcare such as the Patient Shark Tank® and Patient-Doctor Tango™. She is also the Executive Director and Past President of the Society for Participatory Medicine, a patient: clinician member-driven organization whose mission is to enable collaborative partnerships between patients and healthcare professionals. She is the Research Chair of the Cancer Patient Education Network and serves on the board of the National Organization of Rare Diseases. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
The relationship between the patient and doctor can be further facilitated when information is delivered properly and accurately by the doctor to the patient, therefore reducing frustration and building understanding. A product like GistMD’s intravitreal injections module delivers information on the procedure customized to the patient’s situation (age, sex, previous conditions) by creating an individualized animation based on the patient’s answers to a survey.