Abstract
Due to the advanced development of information technology, society groups generated from internet have been in shear progress. Not only can this phenomenon establish a bridge of emotional connection, it can also provide health information and medical knowledge. Moreover, it certainly can be influential on health policy conducted by governments. Among the present medical society groups, PatientsLikeMe.com (PLM) developed an innovative business model. It built up a platform which allows patients share their own medical history. Through sharing medical history, the patients are able to discover someone else who has similar symptoms and then help to improve clinical outcome. This website may collect patients¡¦ information under patients¡¦ permission. After being clearly filed and analyzed, the data may be sold to medical companies or co-operated institutions for improving clinical therapy. This model has been evaluated by an American consulting institution on business model -- ¡§Board of Innovation¡¨ --as the ¡§Top 10 shocking Business Model of 2010¡¨.Additionally, this model is recognized as a specific research model that may permanently change the methodology of medical research.(J Gospel Net December 2nd,2010)
With a view to evaluating the function of websites on helping breast cancer patients to overcome depression and helplessness on diseases, in this study, we would like to introduce the concept of PLM internet society groups. After two interviews on breast cancer patients, we found that the patients are desperately looking for information while the diagnosis is firstly confirmed. These patients are thereby paying deep sympathy to the ones who are also in the same shoes. Under this condition, the patients are willing to share their experience anonymously. At the same time, they only want to solve the problems that already come to the door rather than prepare in advance. Consequently, all the information is collected from the surroundings and lack of proved quality. Therefore, it is important to avoid the fear brought by the overloaded information.
From this research, we concluded that (1) during treatment, the breast cancer patients can receive professional assistance and sharing experience from PLM or similar function/ service on websites. (2)Through internet technology, it is possible to provide a platform that surpasses the limitation of both time and space and allows patients to share their personal experience and medical history. (3) PLM system opens a window that allows physicians or nurses to answer patient¡¦s question in one-to-one manner. It is also possible for patients to share their knowledge and some tips that may not be mentioned by medical professionals. However, we also notice that most patients still have problems on using internet society groups because of time limitation, incapability of typing and being unfamiliar on internet skills etc. This research concludes that internet society groups are unlikely to fulfill the requirement of breast cancer patients.
Key Word¡GPatientsLikeMe.com (PLM), Case Manager, Social Networking.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NSYSU/oai:NSYSU:etd-0906111-101837 |
| Date | 06 September 2011 |
| Creators | Hung, Chao-Ming |
| Contributors | Jen-Her Wu, Feng-Yang Kuo, Hsin-Hui Lin |
| Publisher | NSYSU |
| Source Sets | NSYSU Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Archive |
| Language | Cholon |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lib.nsysu.edu.tw/ETD-db/ETD-search/view_etd?URN=etd-0906111-101837 |
| Rights | user_define, Copyright information available at source archive |
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