Using Twitter to Stay Informed-Digital Doctors - Part 1
April 5th, 2012 1 Min readBeep. Tweet. Ring. Pin. Buzz. We all are familiar with the sounds of a digital life. Being "plugged in" allows us to take full advantage of the efficiency and ease that technology affords us. However, when it comes to our health, can technology fit into the care model? Via a tweet I came across this week, I found an interesting guest blog post on KevinMD that discusses one way for patients and their providers to connect between office visits and enhance the doctor/patient relationship.
"Why doctors aren't prescribing health apps to patients"
Health apps are an intriguing concept that can help patients to manage their health on a day-to-day basis. These web or mobile-based apps, prescribed to the patient from the physician, help keep information flowing between the patient and their provider and work to keep the patient engaged and accountable.
So the next time you check in on Foursquare, pin a new recipe or update your Facebook status, think about how easy and quick it would be to plug in information about your daily cholesterol or blood sugar level, returning automated instructions or prompts on daily management while the aggregate data can be viewed by your provider during your office visit, making the face-to-face interaction more productive.
As the model of care in the country is shifting to ensure more proactivity and more effective and positive outcomes, we need to look at integrating technology like prescribed healthcare apps in order to facilitate a collaborative effort for better health management.
Stay connected. Stay informed. And check back for updates from me on the most sizzling of healthcare topics.
Happy tweeting! @comphealth
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