Most people would admit that they never anticipated the success of social media and networking communities that is being witnessed today. Although social, business, and other professional networks existed many, many years before Facebook was established, these networks were sustained through person to person interactions, such as meeting in person or speaking on the phone. However, putting these existing networks on the internet and allowing their expansion has created a whole new Cyberworld. Not only do many businesses now have Twitter and Facebook accounts, but they invite customers to follow them. The medical field is no exception and there is a growing movement highlighting the importance of social media for both doctors and patients. A member of PatientsLikeMe, a site that allows patients to interact with other patients, found information through the website that indicated his doctor was undermedicating him for his illness. He then proceeded to print out this information, make his doctor increase his dosage, and improved his condition that had not changed at all for 14 years [1]. A study done revealed that 48.6% of patients search online for preliminary medical advice before consulting with their physician [2]. Furthermore, doctors themselves are participating in networks, such as Sermo and osmosis, which allow them to share their experiences and media with fellow doctors. The real question is whether the social media movement is beneficial to health care today or if it is leading the practice of medicine down a path of confusion and misinformation.
[1] Kane, Gerald C., Robert G. Fichman, John Gallaugher, and John Glaser. "Community Relations 2.0 - Harvard Business Review." Harvard Business Review Case Studies, Articles, Books. Web. 17 Jan. 2011.
[2] Hesse, Bradford W., David E. Nelson, and Gary L. Kreps. "Trust and Sources of Health Information: the Impact of the Internet and Its Implications for Health Care Providers: Findings from the First Health Information National Trends Survey." ArchInternMed. Web. 17 Jan. 2011.
I think this is absolutely fantastic topic! People really do google their ailments these days, before calling their doctor.
ReplyDeleteBut like you stated, it's not always such a bad thing.
I was very sick in high school and the doctors could not figure out what was wrong with me. I was at the doctors office nearly every day for 8 months, seeing every doctor I could.
I spent my sick days scouring the internet to figure out what was wrong with me. I found what I was looking for and asked my doctor to test me for it... of course the doctor said no, I was wrong--to stop looking it up on the internet, the internet can't diagnose me like they can.
They finally gave in and gave me the tests just to shut me up, but I ended up being correct and saving my own life.
If I had not been able to search and find this information on the internet (not only webMD and those type of sites, but also blogs and information from other sick or cured patients), my condition would have continued to worsen and I may not be here today.
I meant to respond earlier but I was unable to finish my response.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear that the information you found helped you a great deal.
During my research, I found a survey that was done revealing that the Internet is used more than physicians for health information.......................and that was back in 2008. I can only imagine how much higher the amount of Internet searching has gotten.
I found a few papers journal papers dedicated to discussing "Googler Patients", who walk into the doctor's office with printouts from various health blogs, resources, sites and ask to be treated with x,y,z for this respective condition.
I've had a great time writing this paper as it has been a learning experience for me.
Again, I am glad that you found the answers you needed online!