Kevin Leonard

Kevin received his Ph.D. from the Joint Doctoral Program in Montreal (Concordia University) where he specialized in Statistics and Information Systems Theory for Business. In 1996, Kevin joined the Department of Health Policy Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. He has two primary areas of research: (i) the creation of a National Patient Advocacy Program along with researching issues pertaining to the development and implementation of new technology in healthcare and, specifically, centralized electronic patient and/or health records (EPR); (ii) the creation and implementation of metrics for performance measurement of the IT investment within healthcare.

There is an inevitable evolution, some might even say revolution, that is taking place in healthcare. This inevitability, termed Patient Destiny, pertains to the fact that patients are beginning to demand better healthcare information. Patients must be able to access their own personal health information in order, ultimately, to partner with providers in the management of their health and wellness care. Just as customers accessing their information have reduced banking industry costs, it is a general assumption that the same will hold true in healthcare. As more patients bypass the "hands-on" personal method and obtain information for themselves, it is estimated that great savings will be gained, and consequently, a tremendous amount of strain will be removed from the system. Soon patients will start demanding better information about the system, about who does which services and about how well they perform these services. Answers to these questions will allow consumers to make informed decisions surrounding their care. Patients want access to their own patient information - and they want to be able to understand what it is that they are reading. In addition, they want to know more about their illness or disease and they want information on treatment options and success rates. Often, they would like to get in touch with other patients to exchange experience and to get advice. After all, it is only when they interact with other patients that they get real information about what they are going, or will go, through. It is our belief that in the healthcare system of the future, we will see physicians (and other professionals) act as advisors to patients rather than the old model where patients are told what to do. Gone will be the day where patients will feel that they are not free to question "facts" or to seek "options." In essence, a health industry-wide strategy of patient awareness and education is now required. All consumers of healthcare - the healthy and the patients - need to be presented with a forum for a comprehensive discussion on healthcare, one that deals with the trends of rising consumerism and greater expectations relating to information access and delivery. We must promote an "effective and coordinated consumerism" perspective within healthcare. Hopefully, this will provide an incentive to all consumers to become more involved in their own care and health management and to demand more from health providers.