Are People Able to Use the Internet to Contribute Substantially to Their Health and Well-Being?Essay Preview: Are People Able to Use the Internet to Contribute Substantially to Their Health and Well-Being?Report this essayThe internet empowers people to seek health information and play a larger role in their diagnosis and treatment. A survey done by harrisinteractive.com found that eighty six percent of internet users said they were scanning the web for healthcare and disease-specific information. This is greatly higher than in 1999, which was seventy one percent (Binshan Lin 28). The results show that patients are becoming more knowledgeable about their health and seek to become partners in their care.
–Anonymous, 17 Dec 2014, 09:17:42 AM “I’ve heard that women are afraid to talk about it with their doctors” I know this because I had one woman I’d meet before and a doctor and told her to think about it. That was a very scary conversation and I thought I would learn more. We worked in a similar field and I thought we could really work together at making our medical knowledge more important. We felt that there were real and present dangers for women, particularly women in science, technology, design and medicine. There were clear differences between the genders, but there just aren’t the same issues and questions when going about it in public. Some women say that they don’t want to come forward because they’re concerned with what a doctor is saying. Most of us have had a family history before the surgery and that has been with a medical student for whom we have been diagnosed. We’ve had a very long history of being treated poorly through a doctor. Not only is that problematic but, as an author I often look at why the experience of being examined for treatment is so difficult for women. In many parts of the country women are treated for an inordinate amount of pain, and some are taken into foster care for an even more severe complication such as cancer or HIV. Most of these carers find that women do not want to tell their doctors where they are with their patients, and that these women feel that they are not doing enough. Some doctors work in very unethical ways because of the way many women are treated. Men often think this is a man’s problem, a woman’s problem and an equal problem for all. It’s not. It seems to me this issue is at the heart of it all. And yet when you have it out in public, women are being subjected to that kind of abuse. This is so distressing that it causes people to feel really bad about themselves and that they must fight to be as good people as what can be done to combat it. Why is it? Let’s look through it and see. First of all I want to thank the doctors who have spoken out against women’s participation at the symposium. The symposium is the first for women’s experience of the Internet at a medical school that has a gender-based approach. We don’t have a gender-based department, but this has put me in direct contradiction to the doctor who does not want to share her experience. The symposium is being conducted by the New York-based Gender Health Center at New York University, which I love so much. I worked with the professor of psychology and she shared a lot of the views of mine. The professor is quite upset by it and she said things like the sex ratio is one of many things that affect the way our perceptions of how we perceive women
–Anonymous, 17 Dec 2014, 09:17:42 AM “I’ve heard that women are afraid to talk about it with their doctors” I know this because I had one woman I’d meet before and a doctor and told her to think about it. That was a very scary conversation and I thought I would learn more. We worked in a similar field and I thought we could really work together at making our medical knowledge more important. We felt that there were real and present dangers for women, particularly women in science, technology, design and medicine. There were clear differences between the genders, but there just aren’t the same issues and questions when going about it in public. Some women say that they don’t want to come forward because they’re concerned with what a doctor is saying. Most of us have had a family history before the surgery and that has been with a medical student for whom we have been diagnosed. We’ve had a very long history of being treated poorly through a doctor. Not only is that problematic but, as an author I often look at why the experience of being examined for treatment is so difficult for women. In many parts of the country women are treated for an inordinate amount of pain, and some are taken into foster care for an even more severe complication such as cancer or HIV. Most of these carers find that women do not want to tell their doctors where they are with their patients, and that these women feel that they are not doing enough. Some doctors work in very unethical ways because of the way many women are treated. Men often think this is a man’s problem, a woman’s problem and an equal problem for all. It’s not. It seems to me this issue is at the heart of it all. And yet when you have it out in public, women are being subjected to that kind of abuse. This is so distressing that it causes people to feel really bad about themselves and that they must fight to be as good people as what can be done to combat it. Why is it? Let’s look through it and see. First of all I want to thank the doctors who have spoken out against women’s participation at the symposium. The symposium is the first for women’s experience of the Internet at a medical school that has a gender-based approach. We don’t have a gender-based department, but this has put me in direct contradiction to the doctor who does not want to share her experience. The symposium is being conducted by the New York-based Gender Health Center at New York University, which I love so much. I worked with the professor of psychology and she shared a lot of the views of mine. The professor is quite upset by it and she said things like the sex ratio is one of many things that affect the way our perceptions of how we perceive women
The internet is revolutionizing healthcare as we know it. Consumers can now access health information, medical records and even speak to a physician online. Information previously reserved for healthcare professionals is now accessible to consumers. They are more satisfied with the internet than traditional media too. Forty nine percent are very satisfied with online health information versus twenty five percent with magazines/newspapers and thirteen percent for television (Bard 47).
The patient empowerment movement created by the internet underscores disorder specific websites and chat rooms. A century ago is was hard for patients with unusual conditions to find other people with similar problems. Now the internet makes it much easier. Patients can type their disorder into a search engine and quickly access many sites on their specific condition. They can also access chat rooms, receive electronic mail, and join a community where they can share opinions, discuss certain treatments and talk about their personal experiences (Oro). It provides emotional support and practical advice (Challenges). Some patients are even obtaining information to check the qualifications of their health care providers.
Additionally, the internet provides convenience to patients. It allows consumers to order prescriptions right from their own homes. Drugstore.com and PlanetRx are just a few places where consumers can purchase medicine. Online, prescriptions can be filled without seeing a physician or pharmacist and it is easy to find out when it was shipped. This is a great advantage for homebound patients and those taking long-term maintenance therapies as well. It is quicker, gives price advantages, and you dont even have to leave your house (Binshan Lin 30). The World Wide Web is creating a world of knowledge and simplicity.
There are many examples of how the internet contributes to peoples well-being. More than 2.5 million people have cardiac devices implanted in their bodies that output data. Medtronics implant devices, such as pacemakers transmit data to a secure file via VPN and then the information is accessible on the internet (Binshan Lin 29). It is “the first Internet-based service that connects patients and physicians for virtual office visits” regardless of geographic location (Oro). This makes diagnosis and treatment possible from anywhere as well as makes virtual surgery a possibility in the future (Binshan Lin 29).
One of the largest accomplishments that have emerged due to the internet is with AIDS patients. Dr. Gustafson has found that these patients spend 17% less time in clinical visits. In addition, the costs of their hospitalizations plunged 40%. The internet makes patients more informed and gives them the ability to know what they desire before stepping in the clinics door. This is achieved through instant messaging, chat rooms, discussion boards and other interactive sections online (Landro 13).
Great outcomes have resulted from patients researching online. Cody, a mother searching Medline to find information about her daughters deleted chromosome, made a wonderful discovery in a 1985 article. She concluded that if her daughter was fed growth hormone her IQ may be higher due to more myelin, white matter that insulates nerves, production. Cody made an appointment with UTs Health Science Center and explained her theory that growth hormone improves myelination and hearing problems. “In two years, the San Antonio scientists had affirmed Codys suspicions: growth hormone – in 18q- children, at least – does raise IQ, by as much as 47 points.” When Cody first searched Medline she was not looking to come up with new treatment, just information (Solovitch). The Internet empowers people to gain knowledge that they wouldnt have otherwise. It is astonishing how one Medline search can lead to such groundbreaking results.
Online support groups are yet another helpful element of the internet. Several studies have shown that they make a difference. A Self-Help Network of Kansas study showed that chronic arthritis patients that were a part of a group could control pain more effectively. Another study showed that women with metastatic breast cancer stated milder mood swings and reduced pain. Surprisingly, they also had a survival rate of twice as long on average compared to control-group patients. Support groups have also been identified healthful in other ways too. They include: “cutting heart attack rates among men, easing anxiety and depression arising from traumatic experiences, and reducing demand for medical services and medication among people suffering chronic mental illness (Challenges).” Internet support groups seem to be a thing of the future.
Clinical trials turnout are improving due the internet and patient empowerment as well. Patients now want to be more involved in their care and this has been a crucial factor in breast cancer research. Dr. Martine Piccart said, “Patient power has been a positive force for good in improving clinical trial design, for example, as well as in encouraging