An insightful post by Susannah Fox of the Pew Internet Project called “What’s the Point of Health 2.0″ was stuck in my mind all week.  For the people already living their lives as “e-patients”, the concepts we talk about here at The Decision Tree simply make sense.  They’ll say, “Of course I should track some aspect of my personal health”.  Or, “Why wouldn’t I engage with other people on the internet who have a similar medical condition as me?”  But what about the rest of the people out there?  How can I best convince them of the power of the Health 2.0 movement?

In her post, Susannah said that Esther Dyson helps her understand that even though the Health 2.0 crowd is relatively small right now, these e-patients provide a glimpse of how powerful and interactive health care can become in the future.

For similar reasons, expecting moms give me hope for the future of Health 2.0.  They constantly read up on the latest baby health information.  They post comments on blogs, forums, and social networks, sharing insider tips and trends.   Read more…