Posts Tagged ‘Health 2.0’
Credibility of Health Information and Digital Media
September 24, 2008
This extensive chapter authored by Gunther Eysenbach appears in a new book titled Digital Media, Youth, and Credibility. He begins by making the case for quality health information, “educating consumers and providers of health information and services about how to avoid “low quality” information becomes paramount.” And then goes on to question internet users’ claims of verifying the reliability of health information. In relationship to youth, he points out that, “Part of the trouble in discerning trustworthy sites from dubious ones is the result of a deficit of context. ”
In relationship to adolescence and health seeking behavior, he uses his newly defined term apomediation, “While personality traits and developmental factors may broadly predispose individuals to generally prefer one approach over the other, the decision to use apomediaries versus intermediaries remains largely dynamic and situational.”
He goes on to discuss the challenges and limitations of this new concept. “people using an apomediary approach
to credibility assessment are probably more prone to employ a “spectral evaluation” rather than a “binary evaluation” approach, acknowledging “shades of grey” rather than “black and white” answers.” In Applying Network Theory to Apomediaries, we encounter another new term: Credibility Hubs. And are encouraged to example source and message creditability. One of the conclusions is that health information websites for children and adolescents need to have street credibility rather than traditional credibility like government websites might have.
This comprehensive work is worth not only reading but studying.
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Esther Dyson interview about The Digital Health Revolution
September 19, 2008
In an interview from Scribemedia.org, Esther Dyson discusses the problems with the health care system and the limitations of Health 2.0. She sees Health 2.0 as emphasizing the problems in the system rather than solving them. She promotes the idea of changing financial incentives to promote outcomes. She discusses the importance of transparency in health care including more specific data about physicians to assist in selection of providers and hospitals. Outcome data needs to be presented in a way that is understandable to the consumer.
“I want people to understand stuff”, she says in reference to her interest in genetics through her investment and involvement in 23 and Me and other ventures.
Another quote: “Intelligence is like the semantic web.”
Worth the 35 minutes of your time.
Share this:Cheaper Genes
September 18, 2008
23 and Me, the genetic testing company, announced a price drop for scanning your genome to $399, from $999. Will that mean more business? Will it cut into the competition? Or does it mean the company is in trouble. It is best known as a Google spin off and now stands on its own. Unlike many Health 2.0 companies, it actually sells a product but also has some cool technology on its website including an opportunity to participate in research.
Certainly is a company and a trend to watch.
Will Google Health provide a way to store your genetic information in the cloud?
Share this:HealthCampDC
September 16, 2008
Last week this innovative group met in Washington, DC, to discuss “Health 2.0 is participatory Healthcare”. This user generated conference tackled toipcs like social media and engaging the public. One of the presentations was by Jen McCabe Gorman on the NextHealth model/concept with some critique of current Health 2.0 approaches with “the tendency of communities to attract similar people”, many of them white. How can we move from here to “content + community + commerce+ coherence” as the NextHealth model suggests?
Share this:Risks of Health 2.0
September 11, 2008
From the Medicine 2.0 Congress, Neil Versel discusses how “Health 2.0 also can open up organizations to embarrassment or possibly even legal liability when it comes to interaction between patients and practitioners.” Whether it is poor judgment on Facebook or discussing patients on a blog, the openness of Web 2.0 tools can create risks for organizations. However, those risks can be exaggerated. Should organizations have policies about blogging and networking outside of work? Only to the extent that it places the company in a bad light. Otherwise, have at it.
Share this:Shakeout in Consumer Health Websites
August 28, 2008
With some many new companies in the consumer health space, isn’t it likely that there will be a shakeout at some point. The Healthcare IT Guy thinks sooner rather than later. Dependence on advertising only business models does not bode well for sustainability. He quotes Health Care Advisors predicting a shakeout not a collapse of the market. There is still funding for consumer health done well but also requires smart business practices.
Two quotes are worth repeating:
- “The survivors will have done their homework and will bring technology and editorial experience to bear to solve an information overload or scarcity problem…”
- “We put our bets on companies that not only deliver reputable information services, but also have business plans that include multiple sources of revenue to help them ride out the ebbs and flows that are inevitable in the long-term growth cycle for online consumer healthcare resources.”
Maybe the predictions are premature. See Matthew Holt’s discussion on health plan’s use of Health 2.0.
Share this:Two Family History sites
August 13, 2008
The US government is providing a site to track your family history – soon to be essential in the coming age of genomics and genetics, https://familyhistory.hhs.gov/. There is also a commercial site, MyFamilyHistory, which provides some of the same services. This one is “a privately-held personal genomics and health analytics company” with an unclear business model. Both have privacy statements but one must wonder about the public’s trust and acceptance of such sites, perhaps especially adding your whole family’s health information to a government website.
However, both provide a helpful services. In the future, integration with PHRs or Google Health or Microsoft HealthVault would provide a more comprehensive offering.
Share this:Washington Post Article on HealthCentral
July 29, 2008
The article in the Washington Post starts out with a nice personal story about a woman with diabetes who found assistance on the site through social networking. The good news is that this is becoming more common – with the number of Health 2.0 sites available and the number of people participating, there may be a tipping point ahead. But there is little news about any negative consequences. Is that because there are none? Or are they just not reported, or buried in some online forum?
At any rate, Healthcentral has some helpful features. What is not clear is how they will distinguish themselves from other popular sites, such as, PatientsLikeMe.com and RevolutionHealth.com. Like Revolution Health, they have content from some reliable sources – Harvard, ADAM, Thompson.
As I have said before, at some point the best business models will survive beyond first or second round funding or at least there will be some buyouts and general consolitation in the Health 2.0 space. Is that one year away or two? Anybody’s guess.
Share this:CDC meets Web 2.0
July 11, 2008
The CDC now has two unique tools from the Web 2.0 World. eCards as health reminders is the first. Looks like they are adding new ones all the time but have a good variety in the archive. Everything from travel tips to the Olympics and fireworks safety.
They also have widgets and gadgets – currently there are two Google gadgets – flu updates and flu activity maps. CDC + Google = public health web.
How effective will these tools be? Unclear right now unless they take off through viral emails and links. Ha, Ha!
Share this:Web 2.0 in Health Care – slides available
July 1, 2008
I recently presented a webinar on this topic. Since slides from a previous version of this presentation were already on SlideShare, I decided to add the new one there as well.
- Emerging Trends and Opportunities for Health Care Organizations to Leverage Web 2.0
- Previous: Web 2.0: Beyond Open Source in Health Care
If you search on Health 2.0, you find some interesting stuff including a review of Google Health by Matthew Holt and some presentations by Gunther Eysenbach.
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