A Health 2.0 Overview, Through the Eyes of a New Diabetic
Wondering how good the Health 2.0 revolution has been so far to patients? A great overview of the Health 2.0 world through the eyes of a newly-diagnosed diabetic is well worth the read. It describes the general health tools available to patients today, as well as some specific diabetic resources.
Googlers vs. e-patients vs. cyberchondriacs
Tara Parker-Pope’s blog, Well, sparked an outcry last week when she posted, “A Doctor’s Disdain for Medical ‘Googlers’”. Before you read her post and all the comments (275 so far), I recommend reading the actual Time column which inspired it all.
I’d love to hear what people think about the issues raised, but I also want us to notice the use of the term “googler” to describe the group we would call “e-patients” (and that Harris Interactive would call “cyberchondriacs.”) I deliberately linked to the Wikipedia definitions for each of the terms because they would not appear in any conventional dictionary and because these terms are still being defined.
My question: Do labels matter? Would the French Revolution have gone differently if the peasants had not been called “les sans-culottes“? When history judges the nativist America First Party, will they get better marks than the Know Nothing Party because they had a better name?
What does it mean that some people talk about e-patients in terms of the search engine they often choose, while others talk about them in pejorative terms (even if the slur was not intended)?
E-Patients Report Bad Drug Reactions
When a medication causes a horrible side effect a patient usually turns to the prescribing physician for help. If the adverse reaction is listed in the prescribing information, then the doctor is more likely to recognize the problem as drug related. Too often, though, when the reaction is not clearly described in the package insert, the doctor may dismiss the idea that the problem could be caused by the medication. This is likely why doctors did not pick up on Vioxx-induced heart attacks and strokes.
It used to be that the only way the FDA learned about unexpected drug reactions was from the manufacturer or health care professionals. These reports were usually submitted on paper. In truth, though, physicians have no incentive to submit such reports. They are not rewarded and may actually have to spend hours chasing down details and answering questions from the manufacturer.
Patients, on the other hand, have a lot of incentive to report their drug problems. Many people are motivated to help others avoid experiencing the same complications. Now, there is a way for consumers to report adverse drug reactions directly to the FDA using a program called MedWatch (www.fda.gov/medwatch). This program has been available for some time, but most people are unaware that they can access it themselves on the Web.
Patient Centered Health Information Technology
Does anyone else remember those Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercials from the 1980s? “Your peanut butter is in my chocolate!” “Your chocolate is in my peanut butter!” I knew I was getting older when I referred to a partnership as a “two great tastes that taste great together” event and my younger colleague had no idea what I was talking about.
Well, here’s my latest example of such a partnership — two great people, one great concept: Patient Centered Health Information Technology.
Ted Eytan, on sabbatical from GroupHealth, and Josh Seidman, of the Center for Information Therapy, are working together to “improve adoption of health information technology tools to better engage patients and families in their own care.”
Drug Alerts & Interactions Online
Getting timely information about drug dangers is always challenging. It’s been our experience that drug companies and the FDA generally downplay problems until they have no choice but to admit there’s a serious complication. The diabetes drug Avandia is just one recent example. Thanks to crusader, Steve Nissen, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic, many doctors and patients have been alerted to the cardiovascular risk associated with this medication.
There is now a Web site where patients enter the drugs they take and learn how risky they are. This risk assessment is individualized according to the person’s health status and other medications. The site, iGuard.org, categorizes risk in a Homeland Security-type color code (red equals VERY scary). The site also sends out email alerts as soon as there is information about a new drug hazard. The site is free for users and worth a visit because personalized drug interaction information is hard to find in a user-friendly format. J&T
white paper
e-Patients:
How They Can Help Us Heal Healthcare
