The New York Times Magazine ran an article on Sunday about a new web site that can potentially change how research is shared among patients with chronic illnesses. "PatientsLikeMe" is a web site devoted to helping patients with chronic illnesses share information and in the process collects a vast amount of quantifiable data about how people live with these illnesses. Because the information is shared voluntarily, the web site has the ability to gather and share a large amount of information with little worry about privacy laws. Patients are able to use this information to make decisions about their own disease management and help facilitate conversations with their own physicians.
This web site has a great potential for getting information and new research to patients and helping them manage their own care. It also is a great resource for propelling research as researchers can watch cohorts of patients who report trying new therapies. But some are concerned about patients self-medicating for complex diseases based on information they glean, and potentially misinterpret, from non-medical sources.
You can find the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/magazine/23patients-t.html?ex=1363838400&en=71acf69334c63f68&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
So what's the answer? How do you balance a great resource of data and health information, with standard practice and medical expertise? How does this potentially impact the patient-physician relationship?
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