Diana Girnita, MD, PhD, Founder and CEO of Rheumatologist OnCall, has a thriving YouTube channel with nearly 100,000 subscribers and over 500 videos to date. She provides comprehensive health information for patients with autoimmune diseases and arthritis, offering science-based information on conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, anti-inflammatory nutrition, exercise, supplements, and stress management tips. Her goal is to help arthritis patients make informed decisions and thrive.
In an interview with HCPLiveGirnita explained how she adapts her communication to ensure complex medical information is accessible to her audience and how she sees the role of digital platforms evolving in patient education and engagement.
She stressed the importance of patient education above all, including access to reliable information about specific diseases, their diagnosis and treatment options.
Girnita says the combination of integrative and traditional medicine is what resonates with patients. That’s why she often discusses lifestyle interventions, mindfulness, nutrition, exercise, and supplements with her audience. By basing her advice on current science, she strives to make scientific information digestible. This approach also helps her patients review and understand the information from consultations for themselves. Since research shows that patients forget about 50% of a conversation with their doctor, and the remaining 25% of information is often misunderstood, revisiting the information later is extremely helpful for patients.
Autoimmune diseases are chronic and require special attention, expertise and care. It is therefore important that patients know what to expect and understand their options.
“The role [of education in healthcare] “It’s huge,” she said. Rheumatologists like Girnita diagnose, treat and follow patients for many years, providing a comprehensive understanding of autoimmune diseases. Getting information from trusted sources is essential to improving health outcomes.
