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Abstract
The Internet has become one of the main drivers of e-health. Whilst its impact and potential is being analysed, the Web 2.0 phenomenon has reached the health field and has emerged as a buzzword that people use to describe a wide range of online activities and applications. The aims of this article are: to explore the opportunities and challenges of the Web 2.0 within the health care system and to identify the gap between the potential of these online activities and applications and the empirical data. The analysis is based on: online surveys to physicians, nurses, pharmacist and patient support groups; static web shot analysis of 1240 web pages and exploration of the most popular Web 2.0 initiatives. The empirical results contrast with the Web 2.0 trends identified. Whereas the main characteristic of the Web 2.0 is the opportunity for social interaction, the health care system at large could currently be characterised by: a lack of interactive communication technologies available on the Internet; a lack of professional production of health care information on the Internet, and a lack of interaction between these professionals and patients on the Internet. These results reveal a scenario away from 2.0 trends.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.
Note
1. Catalonia is a region in Spain with 7.37 million residents. The Catalan health system has a universal coverage financed primarily by the State general budget (4.2 per cent of GDP). The provision of health care services is both private and public with a mixed model that is integrated in a single network. More information available at http://www10.gencat.net/catsalut/eng/coneix_models.htm