In the article titled Integrating Web 2.0 in Health Education Preparation and Practice, the authors describe the phenomena of Web 2.0, which includes the use of blogs, wikis, social-networking sites, and podcasts in the 21st century (p. 157). Essentially, I agree with the authors when they state that "Part of the reason for new media's appeal is interactivity and dialogue that may lead to clarity of thought and increased personal empowerment"
(p.160). In the present day, people have an immense level of personal empowerment due to the utilization of the internet. Nowadays, patients have the opportunity to educate themselves about a particular disease or medical treatment by using the internet to find relevant information. Also, patients have the ability to locate information regarding their symptoms or side effects of their medications by visiting certain websites such as WebMD, Drugstore.com, and PharmacyTimes.com. In other words, thanks to the internet, patients do not have to keep running to their physician’s office or visit their local pharmacist to receive answers on their basic health related questions. Moreover, the internet can serve as another mode of communication between two different individuals, groups, communities, and nations. People have the ability to join online groups or have access to individuals (across the globe) who can help them with their health or medical related issue. Especially through MySpace and Facebook, individuals can exchange advice and share their personal experience with others. For example, I have a friend who was diagnosed with a chronic autoimmune disease called lupus. For the longest time, this particular ailment caused my friend to feel completely isolated and alone. She strongly believed she was the only one in the entire world who became a victim of such a terrible disease. However, one day while using Facebook, she discovered an online group where individuals from all over the United States shared their experience with lupus. My friend immediately interacted and befriended these individuals through instant messaging and she felt comforted in knowing she was not the only one in this world who was suffering from lupus. On the other hand, one major problem with using the internet as a resource is that anyone can post a website about anything. Therefore, it is difficult to determine whether or not a particular website or online resource is credible. People have to be very careful in terms of what they read on the internet. As a future pharmacist, I would definitely like to incorporate new media at my workplace. Presumably, I see myself creating a genuine, easy access website that will provide my patients with general information regarding various diseases, medical treatments, health insurance plans, prescription drugs, and over the counter medications. Also, to make things more engaging and interactive for my patients, I plan to add various health-related quizzes, games, graphics, animations, and videos to my website. Furthermore, I see myself creating an online forum where individuals can share their personal experiences with others and provide words of encouragement or comfort.
3 comments:
Hey I like that idea of creating graphics and animatians to motivate patient's interactions, because not only does it allow them to interact but it also simplifies lots of complicated health issues and makes easier to grasp
Wow you wrote a lot..Great great post. I love the facebook example =) Isn't it great how we grew up in the mass communication-digital networking era!? I don't know what I would do if it wasn't around. I think I have become more educated about health with the ease of information access these days.
I think it could be potentially dangerous for patients to self-diagnose themselves via the internet. Granted some sites are moderated by healthcare professionals, it would be only ideal for them to deal with smaller scale illnesses than trying to diagnose something complex. There is a reason why so many tests have to be done to confirm an ailment. Self-diagnosing bases the condition on symptoms that are present and may not treat the underlying cause (because it is not known) which would not be in the patients best interest.
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