With the advent of health-related Web sites, the way many people approach basic questions regarding health care has changed. Large Web sites, like WebMD and the Mayo Clinic’s online database, have ushered in a proliferation of blogs, forums, chat rooms, and groups dedicated to every disease and every disorder.

This phenomenon of “Medicine 2.0,” as it has come to be known, is the natural evolution of a habit that has been around for ages, contends Susannah Fox, Associate Director of Digital Strategy at Pew’s Internet & American Life Project, during her closing keynote address at the Medicine 2.0 2011 Conference. Fox explains that these online health resources are simply the 21st century version of a layman visiting his cold-stricken neighbors and offering his own diagnosis of their condition.

Also known as “peer-to-peer health care,” Medicine 2.0 is the process of communities coming together online to discuss symptoms, treatments and general information about the diseases they suffer from. These health-related sites serve as a forum for people to “lend a hand, lend an ear, lend advice — but at Internet speed and at Internet scale,” according to Fox.

Medicine 2.0 has also progressed onto social media sites, like Twitter and Facebook, where users share symptoms of mystery diseases, stories of hospital visits and at-home care experiences, and even recommendations for doctors and experts. “We are building networks online that we tap into when we need help or advice,” says Fox.

No doubt, the Internet is a powerful tool and offering solace to those in need has its value — however, peer-to-peer health care is not a replacement for medical professionals with years of training, according to Fox. People connect with each other for information and support, she says, but still go to clinicians for treatment. She cites findings from the Pew Internet Project, which show six in 10 adults gather health information online, but medical professionals remain their first choice for health concerns; and nine out of 10 adults say health professionals are more helpful than social support networks (online or otherwise) when it comes to medical diagnosis.

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