Last week the
Pew Internet & American Life Project published an
interesting report about how people with chronic diseases use the internet. I came across the report thanks to the
Health Wisdom Blog.
Surprisingly only about half of those with chronic illnesses (including diabetes) actually use the internet. But when they do find the internet, and the information they can get from it, they become 'avid' users. For those of use who read
diabetes blogs, are members of
TuDiabetes.com, and use resources like the
diabetes search engine, or
diabetes daily this must be surprising news.
The report is based on a survey of nearly 3,000 adults taken in August 2006. It defines E-patients with chronic conditions as "Internet users who have identified themselves as living with a disability or chronic disease and who search online for information on health and health care". And this group of people with chronic illness are empowered by what they find on the internet. According the published findings
- 75% of e-patients with chronic conditions say the information they found in their last search affected a decision about how to treat an illness or condition, compared with 55% of e-patients who report no disability or illness.
- 69% of e-patients with chronic conditions say the information led them to ask a doctor new questions or to get a second opinion from another doctor, compared with 52% of other e-patients.
- 57% of e-patients with chronic conditions say the information changed the way they cope with a chronic condition or manage pain, compared with 36% of other e-patients.
- 56% of e-patients with chronic conditions say the information changed the way they think about diet, exercise, or stress management, compared with 42% of other e-patients.
I think the numbers are interesting but the overall findings aren't too surprising. I've
previously blogged about the importance of taking more control of our own health care. I think I'm pretty informed about diabetes, but since I started blogging in August 2006 I've found many better ways to deal with this disease and improve my overall control. Sites like
TuDiabetes.com and the connections that I've made there have been
invaluable.
I hope the news about this report gets out to a wider audience. And ultimately leads more people with chronic illnesses to the internet and to better outcomes and quality of life.
Labels: chronic, internet, pew, tudiabetes
Talking about chronic illness
This evening I read
Vivian's post that points to a video about people with chronic illness. As someone with two chronic illnesses, diabetes and asthma, I really struck a chord with me.
For the last few weeks I've been thinking about diabetes and those of us who live with this disease. A lot of recent posts in the
OC-blogosphere has expressed the frustration that we all feel. That frustration seems to come from several sources
- Insurance coverage struggles for diabetes (a chronic disease)
- Difficulties of managing diabetes
- Problems with our healthcare providers
I think a lot of the problems come down to the fact that our US health care system is more concerned with providing treatment for episodic health issues. It's hard to get adequate coverage for an insulin pump ($5,000) and
all of the needed supplies($2,500 or so per year), but not for a foot ulcer (
$27,987 for the 2 years after diagnosis) or dialysis treatment (
$70,000 per year). The same is true for many health crises that can come because of the challenges of diabetes.
How can a place like the Joslin Clinic only get back about
70 cents for every dollar it spends in patient care? With a
diabetes crisis in New York, why are there so few treatment centers available in that city?
According to the video that Vivian pointed to, 75% of people over 65 will deal with at least one chronic illness. So why does it seem as if the various institutions involved (health insurance carriers, healthcare providers, etc.) don't seem to take this seriously?
What I'd like to understand is where to start influencing people to make a change. Should we (d-bloggers) be trying to speak to classes at
Harvard Medical School? Should I be having regular conversations with my state and federal law-makers? How do we get the ball rolling?
Vivian, thanks for pointing out that video. I feel inspired by it to contact professors at Harvard and see whether I can't talk with a class about some of the struggles that diabetes represents.
What else might you do to turn this situation around?
Labels: awareness, chronic, diabetes
