Today, close to 58 percent of people are seeking health information online. While this is shaping the future of "data web", IT giants Microsoft and Google are trying to leverage this and plan to mass consumerize health information.
Close to 20 percent of U.S. population have computerized records than paper, and this is going to increase in the coming years. With so much online data, one can input symptoms and age and the "system" could find your history, medications, etc., relevant to the individual. While this huge healthcare technology revolution is moving at a very fast pace, people are largely turning to web for data. Going by the recent research findings, 70 percent of adults turn to the internet for medical and health information.
Google and Microsoft are making real headway by giving more control to people over their own health records by digitization of health records. This initiative will help people find more personalized health information on the internet. If Google and Microsoft's efforts gain momentum, there will be a significant shift in power to consumers in healthcare.