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A really interesting new report has come out of the U.S. that offers some good food for thought about people managing chronic illness and the Building Bridges group on CareToKnow.org.
People fighting chronic illnesses are less likely than others to have Internet access, but once online they are more likely to blog or participate in online discussions about health problems, according to a report released Wednesday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project and the California HealthCare Foundation.
According to a New York Times article about the report, “It’s really literally saved my life, just to be able to connect with other people,” said Sean Fogerty, 50, who has multiple sclerosis, is recovering from brain cancer and spends an hour and a half each night talking with other patients online.
Living with chronic disease is also associated, once someone is online, with a greater likelihood to access user-generated health content such as blog posts, hospital reviews, doctor reviews, and podcasts. These resources allow an internet user to dive deeply into a health topic, using the internet as a communications tool, not simply an information vending machine.
“If they can break free from the anchors holding them down, people living with chronic disease who go online are finding resources that are more useful than the rest of the population,” said Susannah Fox, associate director of digital strategy at Pew and author of the report.
The study has great insight for the Building Bridges to Better Health Program, and the CareToKnow.org site has strong potential in this area. Other Group pages about specific chronic illnesses could be created and managed.
View or Download the Research Report: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Chronic-Disease.aspx
Read the New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/technology/25disable.html
How can we get the word out to individuals and families about joining CareToKnow.org, as a new Canadian-focused online social network? And, imagine the possibilities for the Building Bridges program!
We are small because we are still new, but we want early champions to join and make this the online community they want it to be!
