Depression Screening – New Medical Symptom

Today at infoMedMD, a medical symptoms checker, we released our lasted infoMed entitled Depression Screening. 

Do you think you are depressed? Only a doctor can diagnosis this for sure and sometimes, they even disagree. This private INFOMED will ask you a series of questions to see if you may depressed. It will also ask you questions to determine whether your depression has a medical or situational basis – or both.

The Depression Screening infoMed (and all infoMeds) can be embedded onto your website with the following code.

<object width=’425′ height=’344′><embed src=’https://www.infomedmd.com/flash/infomed_app_425_344.swf?infoMedId=97&ac=FF3T9UPE6BVDZQZ&#8217; type=’application/x-shockwave-flash’ width=’425′ height=’344′></embed></object>

Is Health 2.0 the Beginning of Web 3.0?

In a previous article, Web 2.No More, I wrote about how the current economic conditions are moving us into a new web life cycle. Away from Web 2.0 and into Web 3.0 where the leading web applications will focus more on solving critical problems rather than creating love connections.  In that post I wrote:

Health 2.0 applications like Sermo, infoMedMD & PatientsLikeMe are in their infancy but they’re quickly providing patients all over the world with medical research, information and patient outreach – services that previously were only available via costly doctor visits. Online medical applications were definitely slow to adapt Web 2.0 technologies, but I think they’re some of the first players in Web 3.0. Interactive medical data applications used not for online enjoyment (or making friends) but rather to educate people in an attempt to make their lives better and healthier. 

Health 2.0 is the commencement of this new web cycle and over time we might discover that there was years of overlap between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. Technology and ideas evolve. Some still adapt the old ways while others are pushing ahead. The current economic conditions calls for the immediate change in definition, valuation, focus and efficiency. Some will make the jump from 2.0 to 3.0, others won’t make it out and many more are just being born.

Web 2.No More? From Web 2.0 to Web 3.0

The recent market fiasco has everyone wondering whether Web 2.0 is alive or dead? The technology is indeed still alive (and advancing) but the focus is changing towards Web 3.0.

When the internet bubble burst in the early 2000s it acted as the dividing line between Web 1.0 (the original web) and Web 2.0. Web 2.0 didn’t commence the day after the bubble burst but rather it evolved over time with the rise of search, social networking, blogs, online videos and user generated content. Whereas Web 1.0 was about putting offline information (books, news, brochures) online, Web 2.0 is about sharing that information via social networks, blogs, online video, social messaging, etc. Web 3.0 will evolve with the integration of all this information into deeper analytical studies of online (and human) interaction, consumption behaviors & consumer data. A move more towards the semantic web.

Not only do I think that Web 3.0 will be about the quantifying of Web 2.0’s user generated data but I believe the focus (of web applications) will change.

In business, they’ll take a more active role in utilizing social networks and messaging platforms to communication with clients. This online interaction is efficient, effective and measurable, which provides corporations with analytical interaction to quantify and measure customer feedback like never before. The web has been evolving in this direction but the recent economic mess will force firms to embrace this technology now. The need to cut costs and be more accountable will propel the web towards Web 3.0 much faster than anticipated. 

The second main change from Web 2.0 to 3.0 will be about focus. This past month has seen two monumental events. The financial collapse of the world economy and a historical election that broke centuries of racial inequality in the United States. Obama’s message was all about change and not only will there be change at home but also a movement towards changing the world’s perception of us. This means instead of meaningless applications that rate whether you’re hot or not there will be a movement towards uniting the online industrial western world with developing nations. Online video has already opened up our eyes to injustice around the world but it’s only the start. The tools of Web 2.0 will evolve to help all nations be self sufficient, energy independent (via new energy technology) and environmentally friendly.

Web 2.0 gave us the technology to test the effectiveness, success and power of online interaction. Global information, worldwide interaction & third world participation opens up a world of possibilities to both developing and industrialized nations. I already see the global need for western medical information with infoMedMD. Many of our visitors come from developing nations that likely don’t have access to quality medical care. With infoMeds, developing nations (with online access) can receive Western medical advice almost as if they specifically asked a doctor for a diagnosis.

Health 2.0 applications like Sermo, infoMedMD & PatientsLikeMe are in their infancy but they’re quickly providing patients all over the world with medical research, information and patient outreach – services that previously were only available via costly doctor visits. Online medical applications were definitely slow to adapt Web 2.0 technologies, but I think they’re some of the first players in Web 3.0. Interactive medical data applications used not for online enjoyment (or making friends) but rather to educate people in an attempt to make their lives better and healthier. 

Whatever the third phase of the web is called it’s very likely that it has just begun. The current economic conditions have forced technology companies (and the venture capitalists funding them) to rethink their business models, focus their ideas and think of the next big thing. The third phase of the web will take everything that we’ve learned during Web 1.0 & 2.0 and make it better.

Health 2.0 – infoMedMD Website Launch

After 6 months of planning and development infoMedMD went live this evening.  InfoMedMD is an intelligent healthcare application which through a series of questions (infoMeds) provides you with personalized medical information specific to you and your symptoms.

To start, either browse the medical symptoms or take the screening test which will give you the most relevant information according to your age and sex.

Many thanks to Paul Yeaton of Fortunate13 for the design and Steve Callan for making the application work!

Medical Symptoms & Health Information

InfoMedMD is set to launch in the next couple of weeks.  InfomedMD is an intelligent healthcare application which through a series of questions provides you with personalized medical information specific to you and your symptoms.  We expect to launch the service with approximately 30 infoMeds – another 30 infoMeds will be released sporadically during the weeks following.

To be notified of our launch please register at infoMedMD.com

Below is a screen shot of infoMedMD.com from Medical Questions.

Below is a screenshot of the Lasik Surgery infoMed.

When infoMedMD launches we expect to have the following infoMeds available:

• Alcholoism
• Allergies & Hay Fever
• Bad Breath
• Blepharitis
• Botox – Is it For Me?
• Cataract
• Chlymydia
• Cholesterol Screening
• Cigar Smoking – How Bad is It?
• Cold Sores
• Colon Cancer Screening
• Contact Lens Irritation
• Diabetes Screening
• Dog Bite
• Dry Eye
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Eye Diseases
• Eye Problem Screening
• Eye Vitamins
• Gardasil
• Genital Herpes
• Headaches – Do I Have a Serious Problem?
• Health Maintenance
• Hypertension Screening
• Lasik
• Prostate Cancer Screening
• Screening Tests
• Shingles Prevention
• Testosterone Supplements
• Vasectomy

These infoMeds will be released during the weeks following:

• Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
• Autism
• Breast Cancer Screening
• Cigarette Smoking – How Bad is It?
• Decreased Near Vision
• Dental Screening
• Diabetes
• Dieting (Weight Loss)
• Double Vision
• Enlarged Pupil
• Eye Itchiness
• Eyelid Twitching
• Floaters/Flashers
• Glasses to Contacts
• Glaucoma
• Hand Problems
• Heart Disease Screening
• Lung Cancer Prognosis
• Macular Degeneration
• Osteoporosis Screening
• Ovarian Cancer Screening
• Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) Screening
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Skin Cancer Screening
• Stroke Risks

Healthcare Information When You Need It!

In addition to Bizak, I’m also a founding partner in a new healthcare information application called InfomedMD. InfomedMD provides the user with personalized medical information unlike any health service currently on the web. InfomedMD doesn’t just provide you with a general overview of a condition but rather InfomedMD gives you medical information specific to all of your symptoms. It’s not just a list of symptoms – it’s your symptoms.

Built in partnership with a leading medical doctor, InfomedMD is set to change what we expect from online healthcare information.

Look for InfomedMD in May 2008