![]() ![]() Hence, we are witnessing a dramatic paradigm shift in health care. What that means is that whereas the role of providing support and advice regarding health issues has generally been limited to health care providers one-on-one visits, and to close associations in one’s family or small network of friends, it may now be extended to all participants in one’s social network. These applications allow individuals to connect, collaborate, and exchange their current thoughts, feelings and activities with one another without concern for geographical boundaries. The second phase, and the one really responsible for a major shift in attitude and behavior, is the emergence of rich, interactive social media applications, such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube or Twitter. We regard this as the first phase of the transformation of the health care landscape. What they share with others about symptoms, side-effects, remedies and other relevant experiential knowledge becomes information for others to consume. In doing so, individuals begin to change slowly from being only consumers of health information to becoming producers of the same. Furthermore, individuals are not limited to simply looking up information they are also able to use such technology as blogs and online forums to discuss, comment on, and share experiences about various health issues they themselves, or their loved ones, may be facing. ![]() The advent of the Internet and the proliferation of online content of all kinds, including health-related content, means that more information is now readily accessible by lay individuals, thus enabling health information consumption on a much larger scale, and independently of the traditional channels of distribution (e.g., doctor’s office, hospitals). Historically, individuals have been regarded as patients, or mere consumers of health information and care, provided directly, and controllably, by experts including medical doctors and other health practitioners. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |