Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Twitter - applications for the health 2.0 world

I'm following carefully after the twitter application.
It's maybe the central tool for the concept of microblogging.
People are using twitter to send messages by s.m.s, IM tools or the twitter website.
The basic theory beyond this is to updates your status for the all world or specific people that you choose (friends, family etc.)

Think now about the possibilities of this application in our health 2.0 world.

some of the parameters describing the medical sectors are :
1. lot of social connections in the real world (we have patients, dont we?)
2. lack of time
3. managing our life in several circles through the day (family, patients, hospitals, others proffesional connections).
4. consistent flow of datas and knoledge through the day.

calculating this parameters and adding more, leads us to think that microblogging at all and Twitter in particular can bring added value to our sector and be a valuable web/medical 2.0 tools.

examples:

1. Creating Twitter webpage for every doctor in your hospital.
think how connections through the day can be quicker and elegant. Even small updates can have a great flow by twitter. Nurses can find you everywhere and anytime if you want to .
2. Conference : for the service of attendees and for the organizers for better control and managing the events, lectures and sessions. Also creating following remarks by attendees after session or lecture.
3. Creating small social networking with "special" complicated patients who needs close and carefull follow-up. Manage consistent "micro talks" about their conditions and their medical labs results .
4. Added tool for support groups with various health conditions (cancer patients groups for example).

these are only few examples to show the power of the microblogging concept.

7 comments:

Berci Meskó said...

Do you have a Twitter account? I have: ncurse...

Anonymous said...

Great post, thanks you. We need more e-patients who become health care provider and network.

Kurt
http://www.ideasforsurgery.com/

Anonymous said...

I have a twitter. It's wonderful to know, after the light of this post, that it can be another good tool for furthering Med 2.0. Thanks!

GeekyDoctor said...

Hi! I wrote about this post in my blog. Just contributing to the conversation. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I linked your post to FriendFeed's Twitter room. I've been thinking about how Twitter could benefit healthcare providers in delivering/brainstorming patient treatment.

Unknown said...

Yes...since I've had a recent health issue that is taking awhile to diagnose...I was thinking they needed a Twitter where patients can post a log of symptoms or how they are feeling, reacting to certain treatments or medications.

I was thinking it could be 1) valuable for the Dr. or Drs treating the patient to have access and 2) others who might have similar symptoms or be taking similar medications...etc.

There really needs to be a medical Twitter.

Anonymous said...

Here is a monster list of more than 200 twitter applications : http://i-stuff.blogspot.com/search/label/Twitter