Topol hopes his review ‘will repair patient and doctor relationships’

The man behind the Topol Review has told Digital Health News the he hopes the document will rebuild relationships between patients and their doctors.

Dr Eric Topol was commissioned by Health Education England and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to carry out an independent review into how the NHS can make its workforce ready for the digital future.

Some of the recommendations focus specifically on patients such as ensuring that they are involved in design of artificial intelligence (AI) software and their “preferences reflected in the co-design process”.

Speaking to Digital Health News before the launch, Dr Topol said helping to “restore” the relationship between patients and clinicians was one of the key things he wanted to come from his review.

He said: “We’ve lost the mission, caring for other people, and that must be restored.”

The California based cardiologist, geneticist, and digital medicine expert added that the relationship has been “eroded over the last decade”.

Education and training as well as getting patients to have more of an interest in their health data were the other two things Dr Topol hoped would come out of the review.

When asked about what surprised him most during the review, Dr Topol said he enjoyed the UK’s “eagerness for change”.

He also added that he was surprised to learn how high in regard the NHS is among the public.

“It’s seen as the most important institute above the royal family, whereas in the US, healthcare is seen as the lowest,” Dr Topol added.

In response to The Topol Review, Health Education England (HEE), which was one of the commissioners of the document, has launched a digital fellowship programme to help healthcare professionals on their journey to becoming CIOs or CCIOs.