Healthcare Makes the Leap towards Online Participation
March 3, 2009 by admin · Filed Under Social Media
One of the industries that has had some trouble making the leap towards online initiatives has been healthcare. There are several reasons for why this might be the case. Sensitive information is something doctors’ offices have to deal with on a daily basis. Nevertheless, there are definitely an abundance of reasons for why healthcare providers should be online. BusinessWeek.com’s recent article on healthcare technology shows just how important patient involvement is for leading a healthy lifestyle. BusinessWeek writes, “a new study suggests that getting patients involved in the effort, along with hospitals and doctors’ offices, can lead to substantial benefits”.
Healthcare has been making advances in the Web 2.0 sphere. For instance, patients can use social media as a means of coping through several wellbeing websites. What about a way to get patients in contact with their physicians instantaneously or accessing their medical records without having to visit the doctor’s office? According to BusinessWeek’s article, this is what patients need to have a better understanding of their bodies and/or health conditions. For example, getting an email reminding a patient that she is due for a mammogram would increase preventive measures.
That is not to say that hospitals are not already on board with these concepts. NorthShore University HealthSystem’s use of NorthShoreConnect lets patients access several pieces of medical information, as well as allowing their patients to make an appointment. As healthcare evolves, it can make many advances by giving patients and doctors a form of open communication through the Internet.
This is right here, in the present, not the future.
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