The Impact Of User Generated Health Content

Sep 14, 2007

An article in the Economist discusses the pros and cons of user generated health content on the Internet. Content means information and information can be both beneficial and harmful. The article says:

On the internet, as the old saying goes, nobody knows you are a dog—or an idiot, notes Dan Keldsen of AIIM, a non-profit association based in Silver Spring, Maryland, which helps companies manage digital information. And too much health information can confuse people

But

a survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in Washington, DC, suggests that although user-generated information offers consumers more health options, the upside outweighs the risk, says Pew’s Susannah Fox. Nearly one-third of the 100m Americans who have looked for health information online say that they or people they know have been significantly helped by what they found. In contrast, only 3% reported that online advice had caused serious harm.

I think on an average people are intelligent enough to know what information to take seriously. For instance both my wife and I find lots of useful information on the Internet on how babies grow and what nutrients they need and what are the symptoms of various illnesses. It doesn’t mean we are bringing up our baby daughter on the basis of Internet information but we know at least some things by the time we meet the pediatrician.

Technorati Tags: content publishing, medical content, healthcare content

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “The Impact Of User Generated Health Content”

Dan Keldsen
September 14th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Amrit - great quote from me, eh? Never can be sure what will appear in these things, but… even though I’m a believe in the power of User Generated Content (UGC), you do have to be careful about what advice you’re taking, particularly for serious issues, such as health issues.
There are some great projects running now to help vet/clarify/rank UGC in the health space right now, which is the main point of the article I believe.
In any case, thanks for plucking out the quote, and to your point, it is great to have some more understandable and easily found information via the web, to have informed discussions with doctors (as much as THEY despise that).
Cheers,
Dan
Health Tips Blog » The Impact Of User Generated Health Content
September 22nd, 2007 at 3:22 pm
[…] Here is an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptNearly one-third of the 100m Americans who have looked for health information online say that they or people they know have been significantly helped by what they found. In contrast, only 3% reported that online advice had caused … […]
Lilly Holmers
December 16th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Amrit- I completely agree with what you said about the average person being intelligent enough to discern what health information to take seriously and what to discard. I would also like to add that health information on the internet also serves as a stimulant to finding out more information about a certain condition, in the case that you aren’t sure what to believe. It isn’t always a matter of plain accuracy or inaccuracy. I recently visited a diet and wellness website www.weightlossdude.com and found some very interesting and intriguing information about health matters of the colon. Reading this pushed me to do more research on my own and ultimately resulted in my being able to resolve my health problem. The internet definitely is a good thing, one just has to be able to judge whether additional verification is needed.