WHY SHOULD YOU EVER BE SICK?
Diseases are part of human life. With new, current and innovative medical technology, this allows diseases such as Polio, Tuberculosis and Malaria to be easily treated. Ongoing Medical research and studies are what make it possible for doctors and researchers to learn more about illnesses and ways to treat them. This is in hopes of helping people manage their pains and live longer and healthier lives.
Computer help contribute towards medical research. The Medical field works to promoting worldwide health. Organized and easily accessible medical records of a patient’s medical history and prescriptions are issues that many hospitals and doctors face. This may be due to the lack of medical records being computerized for easy online access almost anywhere in the world. As a result, this can prevent swift and appropriate medical services to occur, if the proper medical information is not easily accessible. Individuals can easily access their credit card statements and airline reservations online. Issues of privacy and personal information violations with online medical records can occur because anybody can take advantage of and exploit someone’s medical information. Medical information published online can display a doctor’s mistake or misdiagnosis on a particular patient. The issue of patient/physician confidentiality can be jeopardized, if patient’s info. is publicly accessible.
Online communities for patient groups can establish a social and support network for individuals who are facing similar health problems. This helps in providing a way for individuals to talk about and cope with their health problems. An online community of physicians can allow physicians around the world to talk about their patients’ health and illnesses.
World Wide Med is an online system that allows an individual’s medical history to be known and understood by doctors and hospitals around the world.
Empowering patients to use and know more about World WideMed requires education and costly equipment, in which it may discourage an individual from getting the adequate medical treatment. With medical and financial assistance from the U.S government, the cost of medical treatment can be reduced for individuals and increased promotion of physical well-being. As a result, this can allow for equal medical care access for all (Shneiderman, 2002, pg.175).
Improved medical data can result in fast and early detections of possible illnesses that an individual may have such as cancer or food poisoning. If an illness is caught early, interventions can take place in possibly treating and preventing it from full development (pg.162).
Technology such as swallowable TV cameras and bracelets that measure and monitor your temperature and internal organ functioning can enable doctors to easily monitor an individual’s health and help in detecting early signs of a major illness ( pg. 164).
Discussion questions
Do you feel safe about having your medical information being available online?
What if there are strict medical and online regulations placed on an individual’s online medical records?
Would you wear an implanted chip that would allow almost any authorized medical personnel to know more about your medical history, in which it would prevent your personnel medical information from being found online?
Do you feel that it is necessary for doctors around the world to communicate together online about the health and well-being of their patients, in hopes of finding cures and solutions to ameliorate physical illnesses and pains?
How much is your health worth? Is there an ideal price on the cost of receiving good medical care?
Online Health Search 2006 (Pew Internet)
80% of American internet users or some 113 million adults have used to the internet to seek information about 1 out of 17 health topics (Fox, 2006, pg. 2). Like 2002 and 2004, groups of people such as: Women, internet users under 65 years of age, college graduates and those with online experience and broadband access at home were most likely to research health information online in 2006(pg.2). Internet users who have gone to their doctor in the past year are more likely than those who did not to look at online health information (84% v.s 66%) (pg.8). Internet users with health insurance are equally likely than those without health insurance to get information online (pg.8).
Over the last 7 years, the Pews Internet & American Life Project and other research organizations found that use of the internet to gather health information is something that has remained a popular activity for most internet users. Similar trends were found for internet users looking for online health information (pg.8). In their survey, the Pews Internet & American Life Project found that about 8 million adults who searched for health topics in August, 2006 were about the equivalent amount to those who used the internet for paying bills online, reading blogs or looking up phone numbers on a daily basis (pg.8).
In 2006, 15 % of internet users have used the internet to get information about dental health. Individuals with home broadband internet access were more likely than dial-up users to seek dental information. 16 % of internet users who have seen a doctor in the past year have looked for dental information online. This is in comparison with 8% of internet users who have not seen a doctor (pg.10).
“Forty-eight percent of health seekers say that the last time they went online for health or medical information, their quest was related to someone else’s situation. Thirty-six percent of health seekers say that their last search was in relation to their own health or medical situation. Eight percent say that they do not remember or did not answer the question (pg.12).” “Parents are more likely to than non-parents to look for health information on behalf of someone else, compared with 44% of health seekers who do not have children living at home (pg.12).” About 66 % of health information was found by using general search engines such as Yahoo and Google (pg.12). About 33% of online users decided to talk with a doctor or a health professional after doing some online health research, while 66% of users did not go see a doctor or health professional. This worries the Medical field about the dangers of individuals self-medicating and diagnosing themselves without seeking professional medical advice (pg.13).
Discussion questions
Do you use the internet as a source of medical information?
How much trust do you place on online medical sites such as Web MD, Intelli Health etc. ?
What do you think medical websites can do to make their sites from user-friendly?
Do you think online medical sites can result in doctors to lose potential visitation fees?
What do you think are the top 10 health issues/problems that the internet should provide more information about?
References
Fox, S. (October 29,2006). Online Health Search 2006. Retrieved June 18, 2007, from PEW INTERNET AND AMERICAN LIFE PROJECT Web site:
Shneiderman, B. (2002). Leonardo's Laptop. Cambridge,MA: Massachussets Institute of Technology.
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