The Patient as a Mobile Health Care Consumer

Many believe that digital health will be a catalyst to enable health care to become more market-centric and consumer-driven. Indeed, the Covid-19 pandemic has essentially redefined the concept of “elective” procedures based almost entirely on patient preference and behaviors, much of which was unexpected. Although the concept of educated and empowered patient consumers paints a compelling vision, many fear the unintended consequences of removing or minimizing trusted caregiver guidance from the equation. What are the risks and unintended consequences of self-managed care? Will patients properly prioritize? Will the benefits, risks, and potential trade-offs be understood? How will fact be separated from hype, misinformation and confirmation bias? In this chapter the opportunities and hazards of patients as mobile health consumers are detailed with a specific focus on potential harms and corresponding mitigations.