Open Source Health Affecting More Than Systems

Perhaps the open source health movement is not simply limited to a discussion of systems, but rather open source health should be viewed as entirely new viewpoint with regards to the U.S. healthcare system. With the advent of MedMD, Google Health, and many other user focused networks, the way that we have viewed healthcare is quickly being challenged. The individual is gaining power within the healthcare system. These user focused organizations and sites are putting the power in the hands of the user/patient as opposed to the physician, healthcare organization or insurers. Therefore, the open source health movement is not simply limited to a debate upon whether open source systems will gain grounds in comparison to proprietary health systems. The debate is even larger, expanding to how it is power is distributed within the healthcare system.

The open source health movement is not simply about providing health IT systems at low costs to everyone, but rather it is about giving the patient a voice within the system. The voice of the patient has been muffled for decades, but with the open source health movement, it is clear that there is strength and knowledge within the voice of the patient. More importantly, the true potential arises with the combination of patient voices. This creates a powerful forum for change, knowledge sharing, and input. This does not mean that physicians, nurses, health providers, etc. should be excluded, but rather it implies the contrary. With a community forum that incorporates all healthcare providers along with the patients, a stronger, more robust knowledge base is created. The Internet has made this community possible, connecting people that never could have been connected before.

Therefore, when conducting research about open source vs. proprietary health systems, it is important to understand the implications of the larger open source health community. The community extends beyond the confines of IT and into empowerment of the user. This could be one of the reasons that open source health IT systems are gaining grounds within the public health sector. In other words, the collaborative community of open source health systems enables a global sharing of information to combat major diseases affecting large populations globally.

Check out this Health 2.0 video, describing the changing healthcare environment.