Patients Interact Worldwide Via Online Health Database

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rEXhLXfOWM&noredirect=1[/youtube]

Press Release:

A new source of medical information based on real life experiences of patients published over the social web was unveiled at Health2.0 conference.

As patients are becoming increasingly involved in their care decisions, they seek health related information online. While millions of patients are sharing their personal experiences, this information is scattered throughout the Web, making it virtually impossible to get ‘the big picture’ of what real patients are saying about medications and side effects. Treato(TM) is the first to make sense of the social health web.

Treato(TM) analyzes patient discussions about drugs and medical conditions on blogs and forums, aggregating them into a single, clear and highly accessible knowledge base. With over a billion patient discussions already indexed, Treato(TM) is defining a new space in the healthcare industry, generating the patients’ voice for the very first time.

Developed over 3 years by First Life Research, Treato(TM) uses novel technology to understand what patients are saying in their own words. Tackling the complexity of health related discussions requires expertise in human psychology, medical terminology and Natural Language Processing. This is the first time that the social health web has been indexed on such a massive scale.

“Understanding patients’ discussions is half art half science”, says First Life Research CEO, Gideon Mantel. “Nothing substitutes real life patient experiences, and the challenge today is not just listening to patients but get a profound understanding of what they’re saying about drugs and side effects. We are looking here at something that truly empowers patients and caregivers, providing them with a lifeline of information when they need it most.E®

“This is not just a tool to hear what patients are saying, but a new approach to systematically unearth insights from patient experiences,” says Matthew Holt, healthcare strategist and Co-Founder of the Health2.0 Conference. “Treato(TM) truly demonstrates the potential of social media in empowering patients.”

Photo by ElvertBarnes