Use Social Networking Tools for Health and Medical Research

While most people consider blogs and wikis to be less than credible, in fact a lot can be learned from them when you are trying to learn about your diagnosis or treatment options.

Other patients with similar challenges, or professionals who deal with our diagnoses and treatments, may be found through social-networking opportunities. Empowered patients are using social networking to find those patients and professionals, and they share their experiences here.

Patients and caregivers who deal with chronic, genetic or terminal diseases or conditions, those medical problems that affect quality and quantity of life over a long period of time, including rare diseases, may find their participation in online patient communities can improve their experiences and further the common good. Here are descriptions...

Twitter is a social networking tool that helps us get the information we need to improve our health. You'll find many About.com health guides participating on Twitter. Here's a master list of our about.com health experts on Twitter.

We can easily learn about a doctor's credentials like licensing or board certification online, but learning about a doctor's attitudes and personality require a different approach, through social media. Learn how to use social media to choose a doctor.

You've found your doctor on Facebook or Twitter or another social media site. You've got some questions and it seem so easy to ask them. But should you connect with your doctors on sites like Facebook or Twitter?

You would be surprised at what you can learn about doctors using social media and networking like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other sites. You can learn about important attributes that are important for choosing a doctor you will have a long term relationship with. Here is what you can learn about using social media and networking websites to...

Social networking is a new phenomenon online, but an old concept. Learn about what social networking is and how you can use it to learn more about prevention, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options or disease management.

Among the social networking tools, Twitter is unique. Learn how this tool can help you, and how to begin tweeting yourself, to help you find healthcare information that can help you.

If you have an interest in a health related topic, or if you have health information you want to share, you may find that starting a health blog is a great outlet for sharing that information. Here is some advice about how to start a health blog.

Bloggers who like to write about health or medical topics share their best blogging practices with other health bloggers and those who are considering starting a health or medical blog.

If you are researching doctors, there are a number of things you can learn about them through their participation in social media like Facebook or Twitter. Here are some steps to help you find information about doctors on social media and networking sites.