23andme is one of a number of companies that have emerged in the past year to offer genome-wide DNA testing directly to consumers. People who order the kit ($US999) send in a sample of spit and, in return, receive an analysis of nearly 600,000 genetic variations linked to disease and other factors, such as ancestry, height, and eye color. Health networks like patientslikeme however are more than just information-sharing. Here patients record their symptoms and responses to treatment regimes on a regular basis. There is a star-based incentive programme for patients to keep their information up to date. The site makes money, not from advertising revenue, but from aggregating, anonymising and selling on the data to 'life science companies for treatments'.
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June 2008
June 12, 2008
Narrative Based Medicine
H.story is a project by Density Design promoting the diffusion of Narrative Based Medicine in Italian hospitals so patients can express themselves, and ultimately engage in a selfhealing process. The goal is to produce and provide informative material on the Narrative Medicine, to awaken patients and people outside the hospital through events and informative campaigns. Narratives have the potential to offer methods for addressing existential qualities such as inner hurt, despair, hope, grief, and moral pain which frequently accompany, and may even constitute, people's illnesses.
