Building Virtual Communities And Social Networking Applications For

www.ideastoaction.ca

Building Virtual Communities and Social Networking Applications

for Health Care Policy MakersDon Juzwishin PhD

JCI, Edmonton, AlbertaAdjunct Associate Professor, University of Victoria

September 18, 2009


Character of health information in a contemporary world

Ubiquitou

s

OpenCollaborative

Health Information

Health Data

Knowledge


What are the primary predictors of adult-onset diabetes, heart attacks, stroke, and many other diseases?

The social determinants of health ◦ the socio-economic conditions that shape the health of

individuals, communities, and jurisdictions as a whole. Social determinants establish the extent to which Canadians possess the resources to identify and achieve personal aspirations, satisfy needs, and cope with the environment. This perspective is the key to understanding patterns of health and illness in Canada today.

Move to a public policy approach that sees the mainsprings of health emerging from the social distribution of resources.

Dennis Raphael, Social Determinants of Health

Move from institutional model to social determinants model


Health policy is not just a process that simply requires management of health care facilities and human resources. It is a public policy area that is driven and influenced by social, political and economic forces

Consider the political, economic, and social forces that shape both health care policy and health

Aim to effectively utilize the processes and means of producing health policy in the service of health

Toba Bryant, An Introduction to Health Policy

The Health Policy Maker Redefined


What are examples

Help for Health Care Providers Putting Policy into Practice

http://www.gapminder.org

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Podcasts.aspx?episode=Help+for+Providers+Putting+Policy+Into+Practice

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Podcasts.aspx?episode=Help+for+Providers+Putting+Policy+Into+Practice

http://www.gapminder.org/









Assurance of security and confidentiality Management of risk Widespread acceptance in practice, education

and research Assurance of quality, credibility & authority Demonstrated effectiveness

◦ Does it work as it was designed? Demonstrated outcome & impact

◦ Does it make a difference? Demonstrated value

◦ Allocative efficiency

What do health policy makers need from Web 2.0 and 3.0?


Medium for accessing and assessing public opinion

Create reservoirs of data, information & knowledge

Sharing information and interacting with the public and health care providers

Public and provider education – move from curative model to population health orientation

Shaping public opinion Mobilizing the public

What can Web 2.0 and 3.0 do for health care policy makers?


Provide another medium of interaction with the public

Provide transparency and accountability on policy agenda, instruments, design, implementation, communities and evaluation

Encourage best practice and benchmarking in policy making

Provide an opportunity for ubiquitous dynamic visualization of health and health care issues and problems

How can Web 2.0 and 3.0 improve health care policy making?


Speaking truth to power Separate the wheat from the chaff Preserve the public interest Avoid manipulation by interest group

interaction and dynamics Identifying the “truth” Preserve legitimacy and authority

Challenges for Policy Makers


Embrace the Web 2.0 and 3.0 platforms but with caution

Move toward people centered health (care) Create, link and make available anonymous

and secure databases Pilot innovative technologies – publish

successes and failures

Recommendations

Building Virtual Communities And Social Networking Applications For

Documents

health policy makers

health policywww

health carecreate

patterns of health

health of individuals

health care issues

health care providerspublic

cathe health policy