When Patients Seek Help Online

If you haven't seen it, make sure you read the New York Times magazine's long story about PatientsLikeMe, a popular site where people with health conditions gather for support, to share advice, rate their treatments, etc.

The story not only provides a view into that whole world of online support, but it raises some interesting issues about

HIPAA: does patient information on these sites fall under HIPAA?

Self-treatment: Will online information from peers lead people to make poor treatment decisions?

Privacy: Will getting too personal about conditions be something patients later regret?

Like I said, it's long. Print it out and take it home. Reading it online will give you a headache.