3.++Impact+of+Technology

=Technology and Medical Information Seeking=

====There was a time in the not so distant past, that community doctors treated entire families from birth to death. The community doctor was the cognitive authority on health care. Family and friends shared health care information with each other but ultimately, the local doctor held all the medical knowledge. Today, we are bombarded with medical information everyday. Commercials ask you if you have the following symptoms and if so, you should contact your doctor right away about a new drug. The internet has changed the face of medical information and healthcare in general. It is now common practice for people to search for information on the internet regarding medical concerns.====

====Eysenbach & Kohler (2002) conducted a study with the "main goal of establishing how consumers search the web, how successful they are, and what markers for quality they use" (pg. 574). Participants described the criteria they used to assess credibility of internet resources as: "Websites from official authorities, a professional layout, understandable and professional writing, and citation of scientific references" (pg. 574). Surprisingly, participants did not actually put these criteria into practice.====

===="When it comes to health information, many people turn to the Internet first, believing the Web to be current. Young adults (ages eighteen to twenty-nine are 21 percent more likely to seek information about sexual health information online than are other age cohorts. In a survey of 1200 patients, 70 percent stated that they wanted their doctor to refer them to credible health websites, yet only 4 percent said their doctor provided such referrals." Yen (2010) Yen found a prevalence of inaccuracies in sexual health information on the web including "myths", outdated and incorrect information.====

====A quick search of the internet will yield you thousands of health related social networking sites. These sites, in essence online support groups, offer people the opportunity to interact with others around the world from the comfort of their own home. The inherent danger with all health related material on the internet is whether it is credible or not. A patient must utilize all information they have and in consultation with professional, use their best judgment in making medical decisions.====

=What role does the librarian play in assisting patrons with health information searches?=

===="Reference librarians are sometimes asked to help mediate a search, which leads a person to consumer health material the librarian knows to be unproven, unreliable, or fraudulent. It is advisable, particularly in the academic environment, for libraries to have a policy in place that addresses the role of librarians as either critical educators or neutral conduits to the requested resource" (Keane, pg. 181). "Reference librarians are likely to have an increased sense of responsibility given the implications of directing their users to consumer health sites" (pg. 183). Keane (2009) stressed the important role of librarians to instruct seekers on ways to critically evaluate the content of web sites.====

=What might the future hold for personal health information?=

media type="youtube" key="AEh6LStxY-I" height="234" width="386" align="center" ====Or, think about this - one day your cell phone may be utilized to deliver health reminders, updates, and other information to you, and serve as a data entry device for you to report daily observations for management of chronic health issues, such as blood pressure or blood sugar levels. Consider the vision statement of the mHealth Initiative:==== mDevices offer interoperability, provide the basis of mobile communications, allow access to the Internet and the huge scientific body of medicine, serve as documentation systems, and provide decision support guidance for care. But their most important benefit is in enabling Participatory Health, the new paradigm that involves healthy people, patients, wellness and care providers, payers, pharma, researchers and public health as active participants in a healthcare system that is open and transparent, with the patient at its center. Most of all, it allows new 24/7 communication patterns between healthcare participants, including observations of daily living (ODLs). || ====One proponent of this type of application notes that mobile phones are the one technology platform that is universally accessible, reliable, and can cross language, geographical and other barriers (Ratzan, 2010). Technology will continue to change the landscape for health information behavior as it continues to evolve, in ways we cannot envision today.====
 * mHealth Initiative Inc (mHI), a not-for-profit organization incorporated in Massachusetts, USA, envisions the emerging mHealth Revolution. Cell phones and other mobile Devices (mDevices) are becoming prized tools of clinicians after initially being viewed as forbidden gadgets.

==//**Did you have a chance to view __Lorenzo's Oil__? Let's take a look at that through the lens of a health information search problem in Part 4 - Media Depictions.** //==