- How can I choose health websites and applications to use?
The first thing to consider when choosing a health website or app is what your needs are. Take some time to consider what your health needs are. Some examples of valuable health apps/websites are as follows...
Fitness motivation & tracking: Couch to 5K, Blogilates, Zombies, Run!, Fitnet, Sworkit, Fitbit, Strava, Daily Yoga.
Calorie counting: MyFitnessPal, Lose it!, Fat Secret
Heart rate monitoring: Runtastic Heart Rate Pro, Instant Heart Rate
Blood sugar tracking: SugarStats, Onetouch, Healthline
You can also download apps from your personal healthcare company like: Health Hub (IHC), My Chart (Mountain Star) or SafeUT (University of Utah)
Most apps require access to at least a little bit of information. For example the Facebook app is extremely common but requires access to your contacts saved on your phone. Health apps are no different. They might ask for access to your contacts, photos, location, identity, camera or microphone. While there are good reasons for requesting this information, you should ask yourself if the information they're asking for makes sense with what the app or website's function is. For example, an app asking for your contacts' information DOES make sense when the platform functions as a fitness competition in which you compete against your friends who also have the app. But it wouldn't necessarily make sense for an app to request your contacts' information when it is simply used for tracking YOUR blood sugar results. Thinking through these scenarios can help keep your information more secure online.
- Why should I access and maintain my personal health record (PHR)?
First and foremost, keeping a PHR allows you as the patient to feel more in control of your healthcare experience. You information may come from multiple physicians or facilities and be contained on many different platforms. By keeping a PHR you can have a more full picture of what your health actually looks like. Your doctor probably doesn't have a record of your exercise and diet habits. But this is valuable information that is needed before making clinical decisions.
Another reason to maintain a PHR is to track family health histories, vaccination history and keep track of various doctor appointments. These pieces of information are vital in maintaining your health.
You can set goals and make plans to reach your personal health goals. This is a great way to monitor your progress while having your important information all in the same, convenient place.
One of the best ways to update your PHR is through a patient portal. This is set up through your primary care facility or physician and is an easy way to get lab or test results, prescription information and doctors notes.
As with all internet platforms, care should be taken when utilizing your PHR or patient portal. Having your personal health information online can be a concern for many people and rightfully so. The good news is that patient portals use encrypted software and password protection to keep your information safe.
The bad news is that even with all the encrypted software, it is still difficult to fully protect the information in your patient chart. In order to minimize the risks of your information being hacked, make sure you use strong passwords to protect your account. These usually include letters, numbers, symbols and do not contain any known words.
- How can virtual support groups be of use to me?
Virtual support groups are social networks formed through electronic media. People can communicate through this type of medium. These groups provide emotional and moral support for people with similar or common experiences. There are also many online support and education sites for caregivers of people undergoing treatment. These sites offer caregivers or patients the chance to discuss the stresses, challenges, and rewards of providing care for someone with a disease such as cancer. One focus of support groups is to decrease the amount of stress experienced by the caregivers as well as provide knowledge and skills in managing the care.
Confidentiality can be defined as “a state of trust.” Confidentiality means that any information or stories that are shared with other people should be kept private. It becomes important that each group member to respect or adhere to an agreement about confidentiality and anonymity. Many of the virtual support groups have a mutual confidentiality agreement, and other groups have a document that must be electronically signed. Although personal sharing can be important and valuable to self-help, an environment of trust is also very important. Safety allows group members to share more of their ideas, thoughts, and feelings more deeply with others. People need to feel that information will be kept confidential before they can safely share their stories. Some groups describe confidentiality as a pillar of mutual respect and support.
Because these groups are valuable and pertinent to the public, I would recommend a paralysis group, a diabetes group, heart issues, cancer groups, and bereavement groups. Virtual programs and online supports and chat sessions.
- What basic computer information do I need to know?
The internet service provider provides access for consumers to use the internet. The service can be organized in a number of formats such as commercial (.com), government (.gov), and generic organizational name (.org).
Wireless access allows wireless device to connect to Wifi which connects to a wired device.
The browser is an application used to access or view websites. The function of a browser is to retrieve the code used from a web server. For example, texts, links, and images are processed and interpreted from the HTML code and then the information is displayed.
RAM allows a faster access to a storage device and it also loads the data at a quicker rate instead of using the data from the hard drive to make the computer run quicker. The amount of RAM affects the computer’s speed and performance.
The Cloud is a service that allows a person to store or retrieve information. In other words, a person can use the internet for access rather than a computer.
Other types of information can be accessed through Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter. Each one of these social media venues provide a different channel of learning and information that younger viewers can have access to in simple terms. Youtube has a place and can be valuable because it combines the auditory and visual mediums for multiple needs. These technologies combined with health programs really do help patients understand and visualize their situations better.
