Virtual Communities for Diabetes Chronic Disease Healthcare

• Main Authors: Ivan Chorbev, Marija Sotirovska, Dragan Mihajlov
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2011-01-01
• Series: International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/721654

Diabetes is classified as the world's fastest-growing chronic illness that affects millions of people. It is a very serious disease, but the bright side is that it is treatable and can be managed. Proper education in this view is necessary to achieve essential control and prevent the aggregation of this chronic sickness. We have developed a healthcare social network that provides methods for distance learning; opportunities for creation of virtual self-help groups where patients can get information and establish interactions among each other in order to exchange important healthcare-related information; discussion forums; patient-to-healthcare specialist communication. The mission of our virtual community is to increase the independence of people with diabetes, self-management, empower them to take care of themselves, make their everyday activities easier, enrich their medical knowledge, and improve their health condition, make them more productive, and improve their communication with other patients with similar diagnoses. The ultimate goal is to enhance the quality of their life.