One of the most interesting aspects of Web 2.0 these days is how it's beginning to create change in 'the real world'. While geek-friendly apps like FriendFeed, Twitter and Google Reader get a lot of attention in our little world, there is a whole other world out there in which the Web is making a difference. One very important example is healthcare. Check out the video below. It's about diabetes in the Internet age, but its message is relevant to the entire healthcare industry.
The video is from Amy Tenderich, who runs one of the best known diabetes blogs called DiabetesMine. In an accompanying post, Amy wrote that "we stand at the dawn of a new era of patient empowerment that applies "consumerism" to health and medical care in ways never seen before."
I encourage you to check out the 5-minute video, embedded below. Admittedly it means more to me than most people, because I actually have diabetes. But it's an eye-opening video for anyone wanting to know how the Internet and web 2.0 can help change the healthcare system, right now.
OK, let's be clear - the Internet is just an enabler. Of course there is a lot of work to be done to remove the piles of red tape and inefficiencies in healthcare. But it's good to see healthcare gradually become web-enabled and the video celebrates this. If nothing else, consumers have much more healthcare information at their fingertips via the Web and are able to gather and socialize with people in specialist social networks such as Diabetic Connect. Amy also noted in her email to RWW that the Web is "changing our relationship with the medical establishment & pharma companies, so they finally view us as consumers, demanding the right products and treatments to help us live better." Here's the vid:
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Comments
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Awesome to see this. I agree, web technologies offer a great opportunity to revolutionize how healthcare is provided.
I recently wrote a post "Why an RN is Interested in Social Media". It was my hope that we'd keep the conversation going about how social media can help democratize the way healthcare is provided. The healthcare and pharma industries have a long way to go, but the conversation can help move things along in a better direction.
Thanks for the video.
Posted by: Phil | June 15, 2008 5:05 AM
Very cool! Three minutes well-spent :-)
Posted by: Mark Forstneger | June 15, 2008 8:36 PM
Awesome video. Applications like Twitter, facebook will play a vital role in the life science ind.ustry
Posted by: pallavi | June 15, 2008 10:09 PM
Web 2.0 is going to revolutionize the health care and life sciences industry.
Pallavi
Posted by: www.askmedicaldoctor.com | June 15, 2008 10:11 PM
This is happening in the legal field as well, with people looking to obtain legal information before officially signing up with a lawyer.
Posted by: Todd Andrews | June 16, 2008 7:17 AM
I would have loved to see this video - but it is now "unavailable" ... ???
Posted by: Neil Hinrichsen | June 16, 2008 1:16 PM
Neil, I can see it still. Maybe a browser issue? Or perhaps it was temp unavailable. But as of now it is available to view at the bottom of this post.
Posted by: Richard MacManus
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June 16, 2008 1:37 PM