Patient Care and the Growing Role of the Internet

While the Internet has made a difference in the lives of many patients, we are only at the beginning of a great transition in care. This transition is taking place in three waves. The first wave was the development of the Internet, itself, with the availability of vast resources to patients. Prior to the Internet, patients had limited access to medical information. Most of the technical books were only available in scientific bookstores, and scientific journals were sequestered in medical libraries. Patient publications were largely available only by subscription.

With the invention of the World Wide Web, the ability to create and upload information became feasible. The last decade has seen the emergence of several Web sites dedicated to patient information. First and foremost was AAKP.org, which has always been a leader in print resources. In addition to archiving its patient publications, it has been creating readable and understandable resources that are easily accessed online. By using these resources, patients are able to understand and hence participate more in their care. The results look very promising.

The second wave was recently introduced to the kidney public by AAKP. AAKP My Health^TM gives the patient an opportunity to become the steward of his/her care – carefully entering data from the physician visit, tracking labs, and sharing directly in successes well as in opportunities to improve. This project helps transfer much of the care for outcomes directly to the patient personal online record. It will be exciting to see how this wave takes hold and permeates throughout the profession and to others in healthcare. This new tool is a true information management resource.

AAKP has always been recognized for its leadership in creating useful information directed to patient care. One needs only to read Kidney Beginnings or aakpRENALIFE to understand that the articles are useful, readable and timely. That information is now being archived and indexed, making the Web site a wonderful resource tool – information at your fingertips. In addition, patients can now test their learning with quizzes that will help them become more savvy about their treatment. 

What is the third wave? This will be mind-boggling. As we speak, the World Wide Web Consortium members who first conceived of the web in 1990 are working on its next generation - the Semantic Web – where the Web itself acts like a virtual repository, not only of information, but of the elements of data. This means that your hospital records, your office records and even your dental clinic records can all be shared and used across applications (secure, of course). This is accompanied by a national initiative to create a health information community, making information transparently available to patients and their designated providers in any setting. This will create a tremendous savings in healthcare costs, and will reduce the barriers to the important decision making process that directly impacts patient care.

Stephen Fadem, MD, FACP
AAKP.org Medical Editor