A9ColinRiegerJanuszStrzepek

A9ColinRiegerJanuszStrzepek

To Do

• 1. please work as a group (minimum: 2 members; max: 6 members) and submit one answer as a group (clearly identifying the members of your group)
• 2. Read:
  • Chapter 8 in Ben Shneiderman's book entitled "The New Medicine: E-Healthcare" (lecture on Oct 27)
  • Chapter 9 in Ben Shneiderman's book entitled "The New Politics: E-Government" (lecture on Oct 29)

Question 1

discuss what YOU consider the two major influences of information and computer technology on healthcare with comments on how these developments have changed:

• the healthcare business
• the doctor/ patient relationship (pluses and minuses)

Question 2

assume you need to inform yourself about some medical problem or issue (e.g.: high blood pressure, hip surgery, torn ACL or Achilles tendon, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit disorder (ADD), you want to travel to a country in Africa (any precautions needed?), ....) - choose one example from the list or one chosen by yourself and

• explore the WWW about it, and
• describe what you found out and did not find out?

Question 3

as elections are coming up on November 4, 2008:

• identify the major differences between elections in 1980 (before the Internet, Social Networking, blogs, ....existed) and 2008!
• which new possibilities do you personally see as positive or negative developments?

Group response

1. Members of the Group

Colin Rieger, Janusz Strzepek

2. Question 1

Jani: I think the who biggest influences are the ability for doctors to track patient history and for patients to gather their own information.

• the healthcare business - Caregivers can now better diagnose patient conditions with greater knowledge of their past. Also, patients can now check for themselves the information they get from heathcare against other doctor's info put out online.
• the doctor/ patient relationship - Patients can now share their past experiences with doctors to better inform each other about healthcare decisions. Unfortunately, this could involve some spreading of false information.

Colin: The healthcare industry has evolved for both the patient and the doctor. Patients are connected with doctors through the internet that the previously would not have been able to. Doctors on the East Coast are able to diagnose and help treat patients on the West Coast. Similarly, patients are able to get not only a second opinion on their illness or problem, but multiple opinions through the use of the internet.

3. Question 2

Jani: After about 20 minutes of searching and reading about a torn ACL I was able to find out about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of them. I learned what information is especially important to tell a doctor and also some explanation of what an ACL is even for. I didn't find any personal stories from people who have had torn ACLs.

I think I would still need to see a doctor if I had something like a torn ACL because it seems it usually needs surgery.

Colin: I looked into Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and found a large array of resources and even a foundation for OCD. It seemed to me that, depending on the severity of my disorder, I could potentially misdiagnose myself with the disorder. Some of the symptoms could be seen in normal people that a doctor would not diagnose as having OCD. For example, "Fear of making a mistake." is one of the symptoms listed on WebMD.

I would see a doctor in person just to be certain.

4. Question 3

Jani:

Colin: The internet has provided:

• A new and easier means of investigating the "truth"
• Another way of discussing the topics and issues in forums and blogs
• Another tool for advertisement for candidate's campaigns

I think all of these are a positive advancement for elections. The general public has the ability to be more informed and to discuss everything that is going on with an election. Some of the candidates have also embraced the internet by running campaign ads on Facebook and other sites. Another aspect that I found interesting, is the ability to get input from people in other countries about the election through the internet. The internet has really brought the community together around the election.