Comments on: Outlook healthy for health care Web sites, but use caution

Web sites are powerful resources for researching medical conditions and networking with other patients, as long as you're cautious with your private data.

[mtownsel]

Check out med3q, a health social networking site

If you're looking into healthcare Web sites, you should also check out med3q, www.med3q.com, a new social networking site built from the ground up by a baby boomer facing a diabetes diagnosis.

med3q is a free social media site that also givesy ou access to electronic health-management and tracking tools that help you manage a wide range of chronic diseases and conditions such as, for example, diabetes.

[Dr Sharon Orrange]

DailyStrength.org

I am the medical advisor for one of the largest social networks of online support groups DailyStrength.org
In contrast to PatientsLikeMe we have over 600 online communities for various medical issues and life challenges. Members compare treatments with others struggling with similar illnesses, create their own journals (now video journals are an option) and receive updated clinical trial information, drug updates, etc from our panel of advisors.
Check out www.DailyStrength.org

Dr Sharon Orrange
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Geriatric and General Internal Medicine
Keck/USC School of Medicine

[Ed Madara]

patient & family run support groups

Almost all the traditional self-help support groups now have online communities. So one has both online and community support from those "who have been there." To learn about such organizations, as well as how to gevelop your own community or online mutual help group, there's the non-profit American Self-Help Group Clearinghouse
http://www.selfhelpgroups.org
providing:
- a keyword-searchable database of over 1,100 national, international, and model self-help support groups for most any specific illness, disability, addiction, bereavement situation, parenting, caregiver concern, abuse, or other stressful life situation;
- listing of local non-profit self-help group clearinghouses worldwide
http://www.mentalhelp.net/selfhelp/selfhelp.php?id=859
- suggestions on starting both community and online mutual help groups;
- information on research of self-help groups - to see a summary of the more rigorous outcome studies, you can see a copy of the chapter from the last 7th Edition of our Self-Help Group Sourcebook at:
http://www.chce.research.va.gov/docs/pdfs/KyrouzHumphreysLoomis2002.pdf
- and a registry for those trying to start new national or international support networks that don't yet exist in the world.
For information on national, online, or model groups, people can phone their national helpline at 973-326-6789 (8:30am - 5pm Eastern, weekdays).


"My years as a medical practitioner, as well as my own first-hand experience, have taught me how important self-help groups are in assisting their members in dealing with problems, stress, hardship and pain... the benefits of mutual aid are experienced by millions of people who turn to others with a similar problem to attempt to deal with their isolation, powerlessness, alienation, and the awful feeling that nobody understands... Health and human service providers are learning that they can indeed provide a superior service when they help their patients and clients find appropriate peer support."
- former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, MD


"Mutual support groups, involving little or no cost to participants, have a powerful effect on mental and physical health... The psychological and physical health importance of this diffuse community is striking... The self-help movement, both in face-to-face and virtual arenas, has tremendous therapeutic potential."
from American Psychologist feature article "Who Talks?: The Social Psychology of Illness Support Groups" by K. P. Davison, J. W. Pennebaker, & S.S. Dickerson, (55) 2, pp. 205-217, 2000.

[prakasharige]

Many people browse health care websites to get answers for their queries...such as "How Much Should Glaucoma Surgery Cost? I?ve heard that Brazil is one of the cheapest medical tourism countries for Glaucoma Surgery. Can anyone name a better place to go?" etc.,

Recently I have seen the following message on www.revolutionhealth.com and got inspired to quote here -
"You should call your doctor, 911, or local emergency services if you have a medical emergency.
Thanks for visiting Revolution Health. Please let us know how we can help you!"
I think every health care website should prominently display this message on their websites.
Thanks for the nice Article.
_________________
Prakash
http://www.healism.com

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[michaeldunage]

Great post! The medical collaboration and resource tools are consistently expanding. I've come across a company, eMedsol which is a new online healthcare collaboration service that links medical doctors, patients and hospitals around the world. Healthcare especially in the U.S. is a growing topic and more options are needed for patients that pay out of pocket. Several Insurance companies such as Blue Cross blue shield are beginning to embrace the idea of medical travel as a policy option. A leading medical tourism company such as http://www.medpathgroup.com facilitates the medical travel between the specialist doctors and patients.

[michaeldunage]

Visit http://www.medpathgroup.com