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Gather documentation, study and increase your knowledge
Increase your knowledge on your health, your diseases, your risk factors, diagnostic and therapeutic options, studying books, newspapers and web sites (see links list hereafter). Patient protect.com estimates that patients direct information will constitute the stake of tomorrow health business. It is proven that a person live a longer time and better, if she knows, understands her disease, and knows how to manage her treatment.
There are many web sites about health (e-health). Some are better than others.Thus, like PatientProtect.com,they satisfy standards, questionnaire and checklists of;
Health on the Net (HON):www.hon.ch
IQ Tool du lHealth Information Technology Institute (HITI): http://hitiweb.mitretek.org/iq/
Some are pure propaganda or daylight robbery, and others are excellent.
At all events, the e-health will take an increasingly significant place in health sector and it became impossible to circumvent for patients and health professionals who wish to have an opinion firmly founded on the question. For a professional of health, e-health leads inescapably to a situation in which he is not any more the information guard, but has to play a role of knowledge interpreter. That will basically transform the relationship between patient-consumers and physicians.
When you consult a web site ask you the following questions:
Who sponsors the site? Note that PatientProtect.com site is sponsored only by Dr. D. Schwander, an independent and experienced doctor specialist.
Which are the web site objectives? A web site, sponsored by a pharmaceutical large-scale industry or a factory of medical material, gives excellent information. However, such manufacturing will not inform you on products and opinions of its competitors!
Is the we bsite addressed to doctors or to consumers? The sites which are addressed to doctors are more difficult to understand, but they give more detailed and more up to date information than those obtained on a site directed towards consumers.
Distinguish facts from opinions. In a good site the opinions are presented like such.
Is information up to date? It is important that information, concerning research, treatments and risks, is held up to date.
Is confidentiality respected? Certain web sites require of you to be recorded. Ensure you that your data are not used for marketing, indeed to be sold to other companies.
Therefore, misinformation on the web fit within one of the following distinct groups:
"Cure-all" remedies: in these sites, a single alternative therapy is presented as a "magic bullet" solution.
Lifestyle scams: Sites in this category typically offer a painless way to loose weight, improve sexual performance etc...
Evidence by anecdote: Personnal experiences are presented as facts. No reference is made to any independently published research.
Biased information: Only one side of the argument is presented to the reader/internaute.
Dangerous devices: Sites in this category typically try to sell the unwary consumer a medical device that should only be used by a qualified professional.