Health Data: Little White Lie Detector

As we bring 2012 to a close and ponder the new year ahead, many of us make resolutions to change something in our lives, and frequently, that something is our health. According to the University of Scranton Journal of Psychology, 47% of Americans make New Years Resolutions. Of those, the #1 New Years Resolution for 2012 is to lose weight. Staying fit and healthy and quitting smoking also appear in the top 10. Each of these health-related resolutions translates into quantifiable healthcare data that is, or can be, captured and measured to assist the resolution-makers in achieving their goals. Our calorie consumption and burn can be calculated, our blood oxygen level monitored, our ratio of fat:lean muscle mass tracked over time. If only we were all a bit more like George Washington, and couldn’t tell a lie, the success rate for annual resolutions would be higher than 8%. The inclination to tell little white lies to protect ourselves from inconvenient, uncomfortable truths exists in all of us. “Do these jeans make my butt look fat,” meets, “Of course not,” rather than, “Yes, your butt DOES look fat in those jeans – but it’s not the jeans’ fault.” “Can Timmy come play,” warrants, “We already have plans – let’s rain check,” in lieu of, “Your child is a brat who cannot enter my home because I prefer to keep all my hair rooted in my scalp.” Many, if not most, of us extend these white lies to ourselves. The dress that fit last mont...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Tags: EHR Electronic Health Record Electronic Medical Record EMR Healthcare Healthcare Business Intelligence HealthCare IT Healthcare Social Media HIE HIPAA General Patient Advocacy PHR eHealth health 2.0 Health Data Healthcare Big Source Type: blogs