I haven’t really paid much attention to the e-patient movement, but recently it’s become a subject of interest.
I Googled “epatientâ€, and here’s what I found: “e-Patients are health consumers who use the Internet to gather information about a medical condition of particular interest to them, and who use electronic communication tools in coping with medical conditions The term encompasses both those who seek online guidance for their own ailments and the friends and family members who go online on their behalf. e-Patients report two effects of their online health research: “better health information and services, and different (but not always better) relationships with their doctors.”†This definition comes from Wikipedia. I’m not a big fan of Wikipedia, but in this case it seems appropriate.