By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    HIPPA compliance
    How Medical Office Staff Can Make Your Practice HIPAA Compliant
    October 29, 2021
    Everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid treatment
    Everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid treatment
    February 10, 2022
    Which Mushroom Capsules Are Good for Your Health?
    May 5, 2022
    Latest News
    6 Essential Strategies for Improving Your Medical Practice
    January 25, 2023
    Staying Positive While Living with Mesothelioma
    January 24, 2023
    The Many Health Benefits of Being Outdoors
    January 17, 2023
    How to Assess a Safe Placement of a Nasogastric or Nasoenteric Tube and Its Complications
    January 19, 2023
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    five star quality rating
    Hospital Selfies and Stars: Patients Look Deeper Than HCAHPS
    June 9, 2015
    Woman Makes Horrifying Discovery Through Ancestry DNA Test
    December 15, 2018
    12 Common IRO Questions Answered
    September 28, 2015
    Latest News
    Simplifying the Genetic Testing Process: How At-Home Kits are Changing the Game
    January 25, 2023
    9 Hospitals That Have Introduced Green Initiatives
    January 25, 2023
    Why a Health Retreat Can Be the Best Medicine
    January 12, 2023
    Best Money-Saving Tips for Health Managers
    January 12, 2023
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Rise of People Power or Arrogance of the Academy?
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Latest News
ABA therapist
Everything You Need to Know About Applied Behavior Analysis
Health
Small Lifestyle Changes That Can Have A Big Impact On Your Well-Being
lifestyle Wellness
The Future Of Medicine: How Immunotherapy Is Saving Lives
The Future Of Medicine: How Immunotherapy Is Saving Lives
Technology
medical practice and technology advancement
6 Essential Strategies for Improving Your Medical Practice
Technology
digital dental x-ray
How Does A Digital Dental X-Ray Work?
Dental health
Aa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Aa
Search
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Social Media > Rise of People Power or Arrogance of the Academy?
BusinessSocial Media

Rise of People Power or Arrogance of the Academy?

DavidEWilliams
Last updated: 2011/04/29 at 9:15 PM
DavidEWilliams
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

Social media and the rise of the empowered patient is disrupting the cozy business of medical research and development. As I wrote last week (Let’s give patients a little more credit for their role in clinical research) even when researchers acknowledge that patients have a role in study design, recruitment and retention, that acknowledgment is grudging.

Social media and the rise of the empowered patient is disrupting the cozy business of medical research and development. As I wrote last week (Let’s give patients a little more credit for their role in clinical research) even when researchers acknowledge that patients have a role in study design, recruitment and retention, that acknowledgment is grudging.

More typical is the situation I read about in Healthcare IT News (Study: Social media can alter research priorities) about a commentary in Nature decrying the role of patients in pushing certain research priorities.

Paulo Zamboni, an Italian surgeon, suggested in 2008 that MS was not an autoimmune disease but rather a vascular disease caused by blockages in the brain. He proposed unblocking the veins by mechanically widening them – what he calls the “liberation procedure.”

More Read

should nurse practitioner forms an LLC

Should Nurse Practitioners Form an LLC?

Maximizing Outcomes Through Effective Patient Engagement Strategies
Robotic Technologies Can Improve Hospital Working Conditions
How to Attract More Clients to your Wellness Business
How to Maintain a Successful YouTube Channel as a Healthcare Organization: Advantages of Video Marketing for your Medical Practice

After the press and Facebook groups in Canada picked up on this finding, there was a push for publicly funded trials and access to treatment. This was so even though it wasn’t advocated by the MS Society in Canada or leading MS physicians.

The [Nature] authors said unconventional and unproven treatments have long been proposed and tried for many terrible diseases. “Now tools such as Facebook and YouTube make it considerably more likely that patients learn about such therapies, without necessarily learning about their potential limitations.”

[T]raditional approaches for communicating scientific findings to the public and policy advisers such as reports, briefing notes, news releases and news conferences, are insufficient. “When patient groups are using social media to advocate and mobilize, scientists must employ similarly effective tools to communicate.”

The authors advocate efforts to improve health care literacy of the public, politicians and media –especially now that less deference is given to experts.

I can understand how the authors are upset at having their world turned upside down, but consider how they published this push for “effective tools to communicate.” I decided to read the original Nature article to see what the authors actually said, rather than letting HealthcareIT News filter it for me. So I had to laugh when I saw that Nature charges $32 to access this one or two page editorial, ironically entitled “The rise of people power.”  I don’t think the authors have quite taken their lesson to heart on this one. Considering the topic could they at least have considered publication in a leading open access journal such as PLoS or insisted this article be made freely available?

Before researchers complain too much about patient advocacy efforts, let them examine their profession’s own conscience to ask:

  • Is their choice of research topics purely driven by what’s best for patients? Or do other factors also come into play such as a desire to publish in prestigious journals, rivalries with colleagues, commercial sponsorship, or intellectual curiosity?
  • If they or a close relative had a serious illness, would lack of endorsement by a disease society or establishment physicians who have devoted their careers to existing approaches be enough to dissuade them from pursuing a potential cure? Or would they take into account the natural tendency of such groups to perpetuate the status quo and retard innovation, especially when radical ideas come from outside the field?

I’m glad the authors are starting to recognize that patients have to be engaged and taken seriously. But their approach still comes across as patronizing.

 


TAGGED: health care business, social media

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
DavidEWilliams April 29, 2011
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye: The Exit Strategy
Next Article President Obama Issues Order To Federal Agencies – Use Technology to Improve Customer Service

Stay Connected

1.5k Followers Like
4.5k Followers Follow
2.8k Followers Pin
136k Subscribers Subscribe

Latest News

ABA therapist
Everything You Need to Know About Applied Behavior Analysis
Health January 26, 2023
Small Lifestyle Changes That Can Have A Big Impact On Your Well-Being
lifestyle Wellness January 26, 2023
The Future Of Medicine: How Immunotherapy Is Saving Lives
The Future Of Medicine: How Immunotherapy Is Saving Lives
Technology January 26, 2023
medical practice and technology advancement
6 Essential Strategies for Improving Your Medical Practice
Technology January 25, 2023

You Might also Like

green hospitals
Hospital Administration

9 Hospitals That Have Introduced Green Initiatives

January 20, 2023
saving money in healthcare
BusinessGlobal HealthcareHospital Administration

Best Money-Saving Tips for Health Managers

January 12, 2023
HR staff must deal with divisive views in healthcare
BusinessGlobal HealthcareHospital AdministrationPolicy & Law

HR Must Navigate Polarizing Views in Healthcare Workplaces

January 4, 2023
cybersecurity options for hospitals
BusinessHospital Administration

Should Hospitals Use SASE or Traditional Network Security?

January 4, 2023
//

We influence million of users and is the most authentic source of information on healthcare business and technology news.

Quick Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Follow US

© 2008-2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?