Contextual advertising will appear on medical cards

Microsoft's investments in the medical search engine Medstory , as well as Google’s investments in the biotechnology company 23andMe, indicate that IT giants are seriously interested in the medical topic. Experts from the British health organization Wireless Healthcare know what the matter is. They warn of the danger that contextual advertisements from Google and Microsoft will soon appear in medical records of patients. This is especially dangerous given the ubiquity of "electronic medicine" (remote medicine), that is, patient care via the Internet. But will legislators allow such advertising?

“We are now witnessing the emergence of a new model of e-medicine that challenges the forecasts of healthcare companies and medical device manufacturers,” says Peter Krueger, an analyst at Wireless Healthcare. “This new model will change not only the methods for diagnosing diseases, but also the treatment methods and the working methods of remote medicine services.” At the same time, Kruger is skeptical about the chances of adopting such advertising methods by both patients and regulatory authorities.

“Advertising and healthcare don't work very well,” said Kruger. “I’m sure that regulators will not be happy to see advertising banners in online medical records or on a page with a patient’s diagnosis.”

via Press Esc