Summary
Web 2.0 technologies, known as social media, social technologies or Web 2.0, have
emerged into the mainstream. As they grow, these new technologies have the opportunity
to influence the methods and procedures of many fields. This paper focuses on the
clinical implications of the growing Web 2.0 technologies. Five developing trends
are explored: information channels, augmented reality, location-based mobile social
computing, virtual worlds and serious gaming, and collaborative research networks.
Each trend is discussed based on their utilization and pattern of use by healthcare
providers or healthcare organizations. In addition to explorative research for each
trend, a vignette is presented which provides a future example of adoption. Lastly
each trend lists several research challenge questions for applied clinical informatics.
Citation: Spallek H, O’Donnell J, Clayton M, Anderson P, Krueger A. Paradigm shift or annoying
distraction – emerging implications of Web 2.0 for clinical practice. Appl Clin Inf
2010; 1: 96–115 http://dx.doi.org/10.4338/ACI-2010-01-CR-0003
Keywords
Internet - healthcare - social networks - medical informatics applications - computer
simulation