Lost in the health information maze ?

50 years ago, the major problem was that patients had too little information. All of this was locked up in medical books and journals, and this information asymmetry meant that the patient was often forced to put the doctor on a pedestal, because he had all the knowledge. Patients felt helpless because they did not know enough.

Today, there's been a sea change, and patients still feel helpless - but this is because they have access to too much information - most of which is wrong, inaccurate or outdated ! Thanks to google, it's become very easy for patients to unearth thousands of pages of information on any topic - but because this information is badly organised and is not put in context, patients find it easy to get lost.

It's very common to find two 2 different websites saying diametrically opposite things. They get confused and frustrated ! Whom do they trust ? And why ?

Unfortunately, most patients are not sophisticated enough to be able to differentiate between "good" information and "bad" information. The sad truth is that many commercial websites can be very well-designed and attractive - but the information they provide is completely false. Their primary agenda is to sell you something - not to educate you , which means it's easy to get fooled !

Patients need reliable information - a trusted guide through the healthcare information maze . This needs to be someone who can help them separate the wheat from the chaff, and someone who has no vested interest in selling them anything !

This is where Healthwise shines. The only mission of the Healthwise Knowledgebase is to empower patients with Information Therapy !

Healthwise helps patients make better healthcare decisions by
1. Promoting SelfCare and helping them to do as much for themselves as they can
2. Helping them with Evidence-Based Guidelines , so that they can ask for the right medical treatment that they need – no more and no less
3. Helping them with Veto Power, so they can say No to medical care they don’t need, thus preventing overtesting and unnecessary surgery .

Search the Healthwise Knowledgebase free today - and see for yourself !