Strategic Learning for Health Care in 2010

Connected patients spread new ideas, new treatments, and new ways of approaching a condition. Patient networks can help you anticipate change and innovate in the right direction. Social media can be a window into their world. Pew Internet surveys show that 8 in 10 Americans have access to the Internet. Social media use is trending up. Health is holding steady as one of the most popular activities online. E-patients are listening to each other, consulting hospital reviews and doctor reviews, and posting which treatments work for them. People living with chronic disease, your best customers, are less likely to go online. But their loved ones may fill in the gap. One-third of American adults care for a loved one and eight in ten of those caregivers go online. One-third of adults experienced a medical emergency in the past year, either their own or someone else's. They are online too. A medical crisis flips a switch in people. It makes them want to become superheroes and save a life if they can. The Internet is very often their weapon of choice.