The rise of health 2.0 and the impact of user-generated content on pursuing treatment options
Date
2012-05Type of Work
84 leavesapplication/pdf
Text
theses
Department
University of Baltimore. School of Information Arts and TechnologiesProgram
University of Baltimore. Master of Science in Information Design and Information ArchitectureRights
This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by the University of Baltimore for non-commercial research and educational purposes.Subjects
health 2.0health information
online communities
patient communities
social media
user-generated content
Health
Information services
Communication in medicine
Patient participation
Web 2.0
Social media
Abstract
The range of health information available to consumers today has the ability to empower patients to take control of their health care and improve patient-physician relations. User-generated content and the existence of patient communities is changing the way individuals are able to interact with health information and connect with others experiencing similar diagnosis. This study looks at how individuals are searching for health information and what the potential impact the information they encounter has on their health decisions. It also recommends components and wireframes for an online community that can enable healthcare organizations and medical professionals to provide a better patient experience.