Patient Safety Blog

An online service called inSPOT allows patients who test positive for STDs to use a website to notify sexual partners, anonymously if they so choose, of the possibility that the partners were infected. A report done by the San Francisco Department of Public Health finds that since 2004, 30,000 people have used the service to send 50,000 notifications of all sorts of diseases contracted through sexual activity.

This project has enormous potential health benefits because embarrassment and a desire to remain anonymous are factors that can prevent people from notifying past sexual partners of their risk of contracting the disease. Of course, as Dr. Richard Rothenberg of Georgia State University notes in the article, it is difficult to track the effects of the project because of confidentiality issues. Nevertheless, the project is valuable:

However, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to study the impact on health because the service is confidential, Rothenberg said. "I think we, and the authors, must be content with the idea that this appears to be an acceptable method to fulfill the moral imperative of notification, and it has a chance to be a better approach than what we currently do," he said.

Posted by Patrick A. Malone | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Communication , Disclosure , Infections , Self-care , Testing

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Tara Parker-Pope at the NY Times Well Blog has an article about how patients can cope with the vast flood of information (and misinformation) that is now available to them through the Internet.

Nowadays, people can look up their symptoms, self-diagnose certain conditions, find studies about the efficacy of various treatments, and find out what the medical community's consensus opinion is on a wide range of issues--all things that they once relied on doctors for.

Dr. Marisa Weiss, a breast oncologist quoted in the article, points out that doing independent research before a doctor's appointment has become mandatory because doctors have less and less time for patients. So it's in the patients' best interests to come in some idea of what's going on, so they can communicate what they've learned to their doctors and the appointment will proceed with more efficiency.

However, coping with so much information can be a puzzling experience. The article lists several helpful suggestions, such as considering what mental impact doing the research will have on you, exploring non-Internet sources, using your research as a supplement to your doctor rather than as a complete replacement, and other such useful tips. The whole thing is worth a read.

Posted by Patrick A. Malone | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Communication , Doctor-Patient Relationship , Self-care

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The Washington Post has a thorough and informative article on HealthCentral Network, an online start-up based in Arlington that gives curious readers information on health issues and forums where they can discuss ailments with others.

The site also has a system where visitors can find doctors or patients blogging about their illnesses. The owners of HealthCentral hope that providing a platform for this kind of independent research, communication and socialization will prove to be a good business proposition. They believe it will set them apart from other online health sites. Their hope is that, as more and more readers with health questions use their sites, drug companies will flock to advertise on HealthCentral's pages.

The Washington Post article is worth reading for its descriptions of and quotations from HealthCentral's visitors, which give insight into why people find this type of website useful.

Posted by Patrick A. Malone | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Self-care

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