Nurse Practitioners: Be a Voice in Health Technology

Nurse practitioners need to be in the forefront of Health 2.0 web technology.  And they are not.  Nor is there a grassroots movement to make it an important part of the healthcare picture.  I get many brochures for conferences.  As usual, we are a step behind. There are repeated sessions on evidence based medicine and clinical updates.  Yes, this is important and vital to practice and it makes everyone smarter but the nowhere in any of these conferences are sessions on the available technology from electronic records, to social media to educational software to practices that utilize technology to reduce cost.  what are we waiting for?  Can't nurse practitioners be leaders in this cutting edge change that medical practice most make?  I was at a conference for NPs and I was at a session on the Home model for insurance reimbursement.  I asked the speaker how was this group going to use technology and social media to assist clients.  The answer was we  have electronic medical records.  Yikes!  If I were still in practice, I would look to follow the model of Hello Health http://www.hellohealth.com.  

When I go to the health web technology conferences (Health 2.0 in San Francisco Oct 6-7) I never meet other NPs.  This conference is incredible for the information on what is happening in the web and who is creating it.  I go because I get inspired.  At the last conference in April, I came home and decided to change my website, update it and change it to be more user friendly.  I am in the process and hope to launch mid October.  Every NP needs to know patients are using the web for information and support.  We need to know what resources are being used.  Consumers only start at the WebMD like sites.  They are often looking for detailed and out side the box information.  Evidence based information is not always the answer.  My advise is don't shut your patients down because they read something on a consumer blog or site.  Get the information and work with them.  My point is: be a participant in this new knowledge base.  Let us as a profession get ahead of the game and not play catch up.

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Posted by HealthCare Whisperer at 9/12/2009 12:11 PM
Categories: nurse practitioner,health technology health 2.0 hellohealth
Tags: health 2.0 hello health nurse practitioner web technology
 

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  • 9/29/2009 12:46 AM janet wrote:
    I'm just starting out as an advocate (after years as a nurse, college prof, and nurse educator). I've enjoyed the information in your blog and read with interest your comments about Health 2.0 and the SF conference next week. After reading through the many speakers they will have and products being endorsed, I'm wondering if you personally find any particular data bases more helpful than others as a resource tool to use with your clients?


    Janet - Thanks for your comment.  In terms of medical information, I have found that most of the programs written are from the same companies that sell the information to the sites like WebMD,Mayo etc.  So the information is the same. The information is all evidence based and no outside the box thinking.  It gives the basics only.  I often use sites like Lymphoma or other specific disease sites to get to the peer pages.  Some offer insight and answer questions not listed in general medical sites.  I like the NIH for research info and many of the federal .gov sites.  I find the sites like icyou.com which is a video site offer patients some answers.

    I will be posting on my blog during the conference.  Stay tuned!  Also you can follow me on twitter @ harik108
    Hope this has helped.  Hari

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