Over the years, the Medical Library Association has helped the Pew Internet Project think about the ways that our surveys on e-health could be particularly useful and enlightening to the health community. In this talk to medical librarians (conference website: https://3bythesea.pbworks.com/Program), Lee Rainie covered how e-patients and their caregivers have become a force in the medical world. In addition, he looked at the many ways that e-patients are using the internet to research and respond to their health needs and to share their stories using social networking sites, blogs, Twitter, and other social media.
Lee also discussed how medical librarians can exploit Pew Internet’s tech-user typology to find new ways for engaging e-patients and their families.