Recent data from the CDC has indicated that 50% of Americans are taking one prescription drug, and 10% are on 4 or more prescribed medications as well. Taking into consideration the aging population and the movement towards primary prevention with medications, it is likely a larger shift will occur in the next decade.
Coupled with this is the increasingly large role of social media in the daily lives of the social schema of many Americans — and we may have a new form of Drug Surveillance. It comes as no surprise that many patients report their daily status of health online, and include their experiences with their medications as well. But recent data has come out from researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital that Twitter alone could be a treasure trove of data.
Via
Alex Butler