Medicine 2.0

I have just read an article by Gunther Eysenbach on Medicine 2.0. It considers the potential interactions between the medical industry and Web 2.0 technologies. The desire and potential demand of individuals towards having control of their medical information and the interactions between patients, doctors and researchers within such an environment are the key focus and considerations of the article.

Where consumers to have full access and control over their medical records, the relationship between doctor and patient as we see it today would be altered. If patients were to have control over their medical records there would be a power shift from patients being reliant on their GP for all their medical information as it would make it easier for the patient to shift GP's, get second opinions etc.

The potential for social networking being combined with medical information would also have passable far reaching effects. It would become more easy for support groups to be established where people are suffering serious and ongoing ailments. It would also make it easier for individuals to gain insights and advise from others with similar conditions, for better or worse!

Overall this article provided a lot of food for thought on where Medicine 2.0 could be headed. Some of the possibilities are scary to think about, though most are liberating and help shift more power to the patients.