Healthy World, participants coming to stage
How do we get critical information on health to people who need it?Kendall: We are going to be fast and interactive…parts of the eco system where solutions are coming from to solve the problems of healthcare and how to get it to people who need it. We will focus on solutions. There are an enormous number of choices….First, Health.com Editor, Scott, also Executive Editor of TimeInc., great food background and radio commentary. Health.Com is a leading edge player for consumers learning about health. Welcome Scott….Scott: If print is dead….I am then dead!. I have been working in print for decades.Kendall: Let’s start…Empowered. We all use this phrase for a long time. I will pretend I don’t know what it means. What do you say it means….for my life and for others.Scott: As a Canadian, empowerment gives you choices. Voting on a health care system is important.I grew up in Canada with a different system. there is a high tax price to pay for socialized medicine but it offers sources. The real issue, however, is personal empowerment. When you need health care, you imediately encounter huge organization. It is at this time when you need to be empowered! Knowing what to ask and when to insist is incredibly important. No matter which system you use…you need to be empowered.Kendall: You need to feel empowered when you need it….at the moment! Not when you surf the net.Scott: local delivery is important. but the real issue is you have the information. You need to think about the issues BEFORE you acutally need it. The real group that needs this technology is age 55+ years. You are seeing a group become knowledgeableKendall: What happens when those people do not want to follow healthy lifestyles…like those who need to lose weight?Take this example and ask what if folks do not want to change their behaviors?Scott: Compliance is the biggest problem according to insurance/medical folks. Taking your medicines is also a huge compliance issue.Take a difficult issue: Lifestyle issue. You are right, Kendall, most folks do not want to change their lifestyle. That said, we should still present the information. The first time you become ill-all this info becomes more relevant.Kendall: What does peer support communites contribute to this issue of compliance/heatlh. Is there more of an interactive community developing?Scott: We know people want to tell stories….some who suffer eventually become good writers to tell their stories. The Internet is great for peer support groups. Most people,however, want to get time with physicians. There is inaccessibility to the physician. You have impersonal info…we are in the early days on health on the Internet. There is one brand-WebMD.com…this may or probably will change. We are in the early stages of health online.Kendall: What do you view as a ‘filter’ need to evaluate healthcare options.Scott: Most folks look around at info and do not take one online service totally. Let the community develop itself and focus on insurance companies, talking with the doctors…these are the real issues in healthcare. There is an interest in Revolution.com, but the Internet has other sources -and the Internet users will make the decision on what is important and what they need.Kendall:What is the power of storytelling. We learned earlier today that storytelling is “Me-too” “Me-tell”.Scott: The beauty of storytelling is that folks WANT to talk about their health via storytelling. Along the journey with the health condition is a story of trying to understand what is happening to you. Any chronic condition has storytelling connected to the experience. Stories are inspiring, telling and meaningful. However, storytelling tells your story only. There needs to be filters so people understand this.Kendall: What are the 1,2, and 3 issue for trust?Scott: When you ask folks if they trust info online….most people will automatically TRUST the web…if it looks like a worthwhile web. Give a name example, Mayo or Harvard….its totally beliveable,Audience is being asked to comment on the trust issue:
