This is a great article that looks at how social media can impact health care in the future.  By using network devices connected to people will improve the health of communities.  Think of how wireless devices gather health data and transmit this info to the provider to monitor disease processes.  By monitoring HOW we are doing may actually change WHAT we are doing - documented proff of needed lifestyle behavior changes.  Continuous versus episodic monitoring of health can lead to better health outcomes. Periodic visits to the doctor, which are often rushed and focused only on an immediate, pressing issue, may not be enough. Technology allows us to keep watch more closely, leading to more timely and holistically informed health decisions. 

 

Too busy to be healthy

Susan’s life is full. That’s a nice way of saying that she is frenetically, overwhelmingly busy–too busy, she sometimes jokes, to be healthy. She has a husband and two small children, a full-time job, and aging parents who rely on her for support. She also has two younger brothers and a community of friends both near and far that she keeps in touch with mostly online.

At 39, Susan finds herself at the center of managing the health and wellness of her young family, her parents, and herself. While numerous tools on the market can help Susan do this, few are connected, the information they provide is confusing, and they’re often so difficult to use that they cost her time–time she doesn’t have.

Susan is not alone. Too many of us are too busy to be healthy–not because we lack awareness. We know what we need to do. It’s finding the time to do it that’s the problem. In an age of 24/7 connectivity that requires our near-constant vigilance, time feels more pressed than ever. Yet, it may be that the very technology allowing us this around-the-clock connection can transform how we manage our health.

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