A patient portal is important in bridging the information gap between a patient and healthcare providers leading to an overall improvement in the level of healthcare. The thesis seeks to make a claim about solutions. It offers the audience a chance to debate on the issue rather than being either too broad or narrow while at the same time it effectively articulates the topic at hand.
The appeals of argumentative writing would be critical in persuading the audience. Logos (reason) would be made use of by illustrating the factual benefits of a patient portal compared to the lack of it. For example, it is only logical that patients embrace such portals as they allow the use of technology in the provision of healthcare hence increasing its efficiency. Traditional methods of patient-doctor interaction such telephone calls and personal visits not only consume time but are also costly for non-urgent cases. The use of ethos would be applied by illustrating the credibility of one of the major proponents of online patient portals. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is a government agency tasked with the responsibility of compiling and disseminating health information systems (HealthIT.gov, 2014). The use of pathos (emotional appeal) would be used for convincing the patients of the cost benefits they will accrue by embracing the system. The patients would also be made aware of the improved privacy that the system allows as opposed to traditional methods such as calling as well as the use of physical patient records.
The assumption is that by educating patients on the need for such portals, their uptake would be increased leading to an overall improvement in the level healthcare management for a wide cross-section of the society. The major challenges faced include the susceptibility of the patient data to online fraud especially hackers and the bureaucracy encountered by patients in registering for the portals (HealthIT.gov, 2014). However, all measures have been taken to ensure the system is secure and that the lengthy registration process is necessary if patient data is to be secured. Furthermore, the use of such portals is still work in progress. The logical fallacy is the use of these portals would lead to an automatic improvement in healthcare for patients. Contrary to that assumption, patient portals are just one of the collections of tools required to ensure an overall improvement in the level of healthcare.
References
HealthIT.gov staff. (2014, Nov. 12). In Patient Portal Benefits Patient Care and Provider Workflow. Retrieved Feb. 29, 2016, from https://www.healthit.gov/providers- professionals/patient-portal-benefits-patient-care-and-provider-workflow
