In my adventures as a medical editor, I have recently been working with researchers who are investigating the use of the Internet as a health tool. Not only are patients increasingly turning to the Internet to research health questions, but researchers are also introducing the concept of using the tool as a management device. In a recent study, socio-economically disadvantaged teens were given computers and access to a database that offered reminders for care, information, and discussion boards.

The teenagers used the online resources, particularly the discussion boards. The community offered was particularly important to teens. After about six months of using the Internet resource and information, their Internet use started to taper off, because they found that they could manage their health without the support that the online community offered. However, researchers believe this will continue to be a great tool, because people are diagnosed with diabetes all the time. The tool is not useful only for adolescents either: It can be used by people of all ages.

In the interest of full-disclosure, my resource for this post was my father's health management blog. My father is a clinical psychologist who has been helping patients manage their health for his entire career.