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September 12, 2006 -- The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council has used Angioplasty.Org as a resource and case study, in a newly published 163-page healthcare toolkit intended to improve practices in physician-patient communication. Making Decisions About Tests and Treatments: Principles for Better Communication between Healthcare Consumers and Healthcare Professionals will be available online and widely disseminated by the Australian government to organizations providing training to healthcare professionals, as well as to consumer groups. "Angioplasty.Org provides information and tools to help patients make informed decisions about heart disease treatment," explains Deborah Shaw, Angioplasty.Org Education Editor. "It's great validation to see content we publish recognized by the NHMRC and recommended to healthcare professionals and consumers throughout Australia. The NHMRC publication features recommendations outlined in Angioplasty.Org's article "You and Your Physician," in a case study showing how utilizing Angioplasty.Org's guidelines can improve the patient experience, facilitate more successful doctor-patient interaction, and enable patients to make informed healthcare decisions. Angioplasty.Org is one of the few United States healthcare resources cited in the report. While the objective of the project is to advance quality of care in Australia, thanks to the Internet, this online toolkit is likely to be utilized by institutions and individuals worldwide. It's indicative of the new healthcare environment that the NHMRC decided to publish one toolkit for both physicians and patients. Angioplasty.Org is one of the only health sites on the net that doesn't separate content for either physicians or patients, but invites both audiences. Patients want respect and specific information. Physicians are learning not to underestimate the sophistication of today's increasingly proactive consumer," says Shaw. The Australian government agrees. CEO of the National Health and Medical Research Council, Professor Warwick Anderson, said the single toolkit reflects the two way nature of all good communication, containing generic principles for people receiving healthcare as well as for those delivering it: Successful communication is a major principle in providing quality care, and depends on both parties recognizing and respecting the contribution the other brings to the discussion."
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