Building on work from the book, The Medicalization of Cyberspace, we’ve just had a new article published in the journal ‘Surveillance and Society’. The tile of the paper is ‘prosthetic surveillance: The medical governance of healthy bodies in cyberpace’
The article can be found at this link (its an open access journal)
http://www.surveillance-and-society.org/ojs/index.php/journal
The review can be accessed here:
http://www.surveillance-and-society.org/ojs/index.php/journal
Andy Miah and Emma Rich have written an insightful and provocative book about cybermedicine, the varieties of knowledge, experience and practice emerging at the intersection of health information and the Web.
Review of the book has just been published in the Journal Body and Society – Body and Society, 2009, 15; 109, by Sarah Rubenelli.
“The book by Miah and Rich is a valuable and entertaining work. Its title underlines an interest in the way cyberspace nowadays provides critical components in shaping cultural products linked to health and medicine. Indeed, this is a central topic of the book: the role of the internet in redefining people’ expectations of and relationships with medical culture. Overall, the richness of the topics treated by Miah and Rich is a reflection of the sheer range they cover, and the variety of the conceptual approaches they discuss. While they do not make one ‘big claim’ into which all of the contexts of the book is contextualized, they emphasize different themes and apsects with multi-faceted nuances.’
and it’s pretty good too….
“Andy Miah and Emma Rich have extracted from cyberspace fascinating narratives about topics such as the persistent sexual arousal syndrome, the Visible Human Project, the controversy about an online auction for a human kidney (which never actually happened), suicide anorexia nervosa (Pro-Ana) movement….[The authors] seek to listen to what is going on in cyberspace and to understand how it affects the way that people see health and disease.”
Kaiser Alert
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Health Blogosphere: What It Means for Policy Debates and Journalism
RSVP
rsvp [AT] kff.org
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Rakesh Singh
(202) 654-1313
Tiffany Ford
(202) 347-5270
tford@kff.org
On Tuesday, July 29, the Kaiser Family Foundation is sponsoring a discussion about the growing influence of blogs on health news and policy debates. Only in the past few years has the blogosphere become mainstream. In the health policy arena, we now see policymakers, journalists, researchers and interest groups utilizing this new media tool to deliver information to their audiences.
The briefing will highlight how the traditional health policy world has embraced blogging and will feature a keynote address by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, the first cabinet officer to author an official blog, followed by a moderated discussion with a variety of health policy bloggers and a media analyst. Questions to be explored with the panelists include: Why do individuals and organizations blog? How does blogging impact the broader work of an organization? Are there different standards used when blogging versus other writing? Have blogs impacted the news business significantly? What kind of influence are blogs having on political and policy debates?
Welcome and Introduction
Drew Altman, President and Chief Executive Officer,
Kaiser Family Foundation
Keynote Address
The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt
Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Panel Discussion
Vicky Rideout (moderator)
Vice President, Kaiser Family Foundation and
Director, Kaiser Forum on Health Journalism and the News Business
Jacob Goldstein, Wall Street Journal
Michael Cannon, Cato Institute
Ezra Klein, American Prospect Magazine
John McDonough, Office of Senator Edward Kennedy and formerly of Health Care for All in Massachusetts
Tom Rosenstiel, Center for Excellence in Journalism
WHEN: Tuesday, July 29, lunch served at 12:30 p.m. and program begins at 1:00 p.m.
Add this event to your Outlook Calendar (Please note that all times are ET).
WHERE: Barabara Jordan Conference Center, 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC. For those who cannot attend, the event will be webcast live.
RSVP: If you plan to attend the event, please send your name and affiliation to rsvp@kff.org.
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Women ‘using web for abortions’
By Jane Dreaper
Health correspondent, BBC News
Some women in countries where abortion is restricted are using the internet to buy medication enabling them to abort a pregnancy at home, the BBC has learned.
Women in Northern Ireland and over 70 countries with restrictions have used one of the main websites, Women on Web.
A British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology review of 400 customers found nearly 11% had needed a surgical procedure after taking the medication.
The website says it can help reduce the problems linked with unsafe abortions.
‘Stressful experience’
But anti-abortion campaigners called the development of such sites “very worrying indeed”.
The research into those who had used Women on Web found that about 8% did not end up using the medication they had ordered.
Almost 11% went on to need a surgical procedure – either because the drugs had not completed the abortion or because of excessive bleeding.
I think it’s very important women have this resource to turn to in that situation
Women on Web customer
Almost 200 women answered questions about their experiences – 58% said they were just grateful to have been able to have had an abortion in this way, while 31% had felt stressed but found the experience acceptable.
Women on Web posts the drugs only to countries where abortion is heavily restricted, and to women who declare they are less than nine weeks’ pregnant.
A US woman, who has a rare medical complication meaning pregnancy is life-threatening to her, described her experience when she used the website while in Thailand.
FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME
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“Women on Web kept in contact with me via e-mail. The medication arrived through Customs, properly blister-packed, with complete paperwork and a doctor’s signature.
“Medication from other websites came in unmarked bottles with no instructions or paperwork – it was quite frightening.
“I was not very far along – only three or four weeks. It went smoothly for me.
“I think it’s very important women have this resource to turn to in that situation – and they can need it for a number of reasons.”
‘Reputable site’
The Family Planning Association in Northern Ireland has had several calls from women considering buying abortion pills online.
ABORTION IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Northern Ireland was not included in the 1967 Abortion Act, which liberalised access to termination on the mainland.
At present a woman is generally given an abortion if she has a serious medical or psychological problem that endangers her life if she continues with her pregnancy, has severe learning difficulties, or if doctors detect foetal abnormalities.
Social abortions are less easily accessible, although critics say the law lacks clarity.
The FPA said that on two occasions, women bought drugs without appropriate medical information. They experienced complications and needed aftercare.
Northern Ireland FPA director Audrey Simpson said: “The Women On Web site is very helpful and reputable.
“But for Northern Ireland women, it is encouraging them to break the law – and as an organisation, we have to work within the law.
“We’re really concerned about women accessing the rogue sites – we’re hearing about it and we know it’s happening.
“There are potentially serious medical complications for women from sites which aren’t well managed and this could be the new era of backstreet abortions.”
Anti-abortion campaigners said they were appalled by such websites.
Josephine Quintavalle, from the group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: “This is very worrying indeed. It represents further trivialisation of the value of the unborn child.
“It’s like taking abortion into the shadows. These drugs have side-effects and tragedies will increase.”
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Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/7500237.stm
Published: 2008/07/11 04:28:40 GMT
© BBC MMVIII
MBA: Is cyber medicine turning us into a nation of expert patients?
Researchers from Manchester Business School and The University of Glasgow are undertaking an in-depth study into the impact of cybermedicine, such as virtual health communities and self-help sites, on face-to-face healthcare. They are looking for volunteers to share their experiences and take part in an online survey.
Funded by the NHS National Institute of Health Research Service Delivery and Organisation Programme, the research responds to the rise of the ‘expert patient’ who uses cybermedicine to self-diagnose, and the decline in the deference traditionally linked to professional judgement.
Dr Debbie Keeling, research associate at Manchester Business School explains:
“The project examines how a patient’s use of the internet affects their interaction with healthcare professionals, how they select the most appropriate treatment and most importantly, how it impacts upon their health. The study aims to provide a detailed analysis of cybermedicine, which will be used to help ensure patients receive the best possible choice of treatments and services from health professionals in the future.”
The key aims of the project are:
to quantify the extent and patterns of patients’ use of the internet as a health information resource and identify the factors that lead to variations in behaviour arising from accessing information
to identify the search strategies employed by patients in accessing health information on the internet and the evaluative approaches used in assessing the quality of available information
to analyse the membership, content and dynamics of virtual health communities and identify how participation in such communities is integrated into patients’ engagement with healthcare services
to document and conceptualise the evolving nature of patient-professional interaction arising from patient access to healthcare information and the subsequent format of the healthcare encounter
to assess the effect of changing patient access to information and the renegotiation of the healthcare encounter on patterns of patient decision making, health behaviour and, where feasible, measurable health outcomes
The research will focus on patients affected by cancer (breast and prostate), diabetes and depression. It aims to help determine future NHS policy and strategic planning, and improve organisation and service delivery, training and development.
Professor Angus Laing, The University of Glasgow, said:
“The internet is changing the way we live our lives and the consequences for healthcare is profound – changing the expectations of patients and confronting professionals with new challenges. The image in the popular media is of hard-pressed doctors besieged by patients waving internet-printout. Yet such simplification disguises a much more complex pattern of change, where increasing diversity of behaviour is the key change.”
Nintendo Apologizes for Wii Fit BMI Offenses
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nintendo-Apologizes-for-Wii-Fit-BMI-Offenses-86028.shtml
By: Andrei Dumitrescu, Games Editor
Last week, we reported on the girl who was offended by the fact that the Wii Fit game considered her to be… a little above the recommended weight as it was constructed based on her other physical attributes. The story itself seems a bit on the fishy side but, nevertheless, the parents of other kids,
presumably overweight themselves, expressed outrage at the fact that a game would dare to imply that their kids were fat.
If you ask me, this is snowballing into something newsworthy just because it’s about the Wii Fit, which is a clear success as far as videogames go. The sole purpose of the game is to get people back into exercising and it’s only natural that it would make an evaluation of the Body Mass Index of the person so that it can recommend the best exercises. It’s absurd to ask from a game not to hurt someone’s feelings. It’s only numbers that the game shows and it’s up to you to draw the appropriate conclusions from them.
Nevertheless, Nintendo has released a statement in which it apologizes for any sensibilities hurt. The statement reads: “Nintendo would like to apologize to any customers offended by the in-game terminology used to classify a player’s current BMI status, as part of the BMI measurement system integrated into Wii Fit. Wii Fit is still capable of measuring the BMI for people aged between two and 20 but the resulting figures may not be entirely accurate for younger age groups due to varying levels of development”.
Despite this, the backlash against Nintendo and its Body Mass Index continues. Tam Fry, who represents the United Kingdom’s National Obesity Forum, stated that “I’m absolute aghast that children are being told they are fat. BMI is far from perfect, but with children it simply should not be used. A child’s BMI can change every month and it is perfectly possible for a child to be stocky, yet still very fit”.
Nintendo has announced that it does not plan to change the way the game displays BMI, since it is clear in the fact that it does not judge anyone, but only offers accurate data on the fitness level of the player.
Article at the Hastings Center’s Bioethics Forum:
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Google Health: Organizing Your Medical Information
http://www.bioethicsforum.org/Google-health-electronic-medical-records-patient-privacy-advertising.asp
The press and blogs have been talking about it for a while, but on May 19, Google finally launched Google Health, a service that allows those who sign up for it to create their own personal electronic medical record system. Users will be able to enter their health information, manage it, and access it anywhere they
BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmj.39567.550301.80 (published 6 May 2008)
The NHS, through Connecting for Health, is introducing two types of online health record for everybody in England—the summary care record and HealthSpace.1 2 The summary care record is being introduced in five “early adopter” pilot sites. An independent evaluation of this implementation was released this week.3 Delays in deployment, with summary care records in only two sites to date, mean that the evaluation cannot provide the concrete answers that many people were hoping to see regarding consent, patient acceptance, and clinical benefits.
The summary care record is a centrally stored summary of health information created initially from general practitioner records. It contains information on current medications, adverse reactions, and allergies. Proponents of the summary care record expect to see improved patient safety, with reductions in preventable errors, improved access to vital information, and better informed patients.1
HealthSpace is a separate initiative that allows patients to record selected data in their . . . [Full text of this article]
