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Medicine, as a rule, is a very closed-source system. Even as the burgeoning information age claims basic diagnosis with WebMD.com and a host of other medical information sites, real info is locked in tightly controlled mediums. Resistance fighters like Google use tactics like Google Scholar and Google Trends to map information researchers across the scientific spectrum can use to come up with real-time theories about health and security, but a serious tool that has been tapped in the web era has yet to be explored in the medical community.
Anonymous usage statistics are used by Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and a host of other companies we know, and sometimes trust. Why not GlaxoSmithKline? Why not HP’s medical technology department?
Having our medical data available to these companies is a sensitive issue, one HIPPA aims to protect us from- but electing to share information is a hassle that many patients don’t take, or aren’t made aware of- holding hostage gigabytes of real-time data that could be used to report important information about drug side effects, interactions, rates of recovery and symptoms few patients even report.
Having, by default, anonymous usage data stored in a central repository, storing nothing personal along with the data, could lead to a serious boon for researchers. Understanding how different medicines interact with dietary patterns, other drugs, patients with accompanying disorders and genetic histories is too tempting to ignore.
Currently, the Obama administration is pushing to computerize all medical records, some say for this very reason. It’s an environmental, anti-bureaucratic decision that helps people to eliminate the endless shuffle of paper and reclaim many of the costs associated with medical billing- but the move has come under fire from conservatives looking for possible breaches of privacy. While true, the medical story of your life could be taken by ner-do-wells on the world wide web, the uses for such data are limited without your consent. Companies couldn’t use that data to screen you from employment without risking a major lawsuit. Creditors could not use that data for the same reason. The only people at risk to be taken advantage of stand to lose something due to political or business related reasons. While this information could affect the market negatively if say, a CEO’s heart problem surfaced, or an untimely reveal of a mental disorder might affect negotiations- but the lives saved, economic potential of more innovative drugs reaching the market, and genetic patterns being discovered before it’s too late might just be worth it.
Besides, there are ways around it- electing not to have your medical data stored online for instance, or even on the computer in the first place, might eliminate the complaints of all but the most hardcore libertarians.
In the end however, the nation’s medical records will eventually be computerized for one reason or another, and its only a matter of time then before the vast amount of data can be tapped in the name of progress.