Many books about the use of Web 2.0 in libraries and information services have been published in the last few years. This one focuses on the use of new, collaborative tools and technologies in the health information sector. It brings together case studies from the UK and overseas which describe how Web 2.0 is employed for a variety of purposes.
In the preface, the authors explain that this text is not intended as a manual, but rather as a series of case studies which, taken together, illustrate what Web 2.0 has to offer in this sector. The first section of the book provides an overview of health information generally, and of the development of Web 2.0. This section will probably be primarily of use to information studies students looking for background information. However, the sections that follow deal with more practical issues, which would be of greater interest to information professionals, researchers and lecturers.
Part 2 examines the implications of Web 2.0 for health information. It contains chapters on a range of topics, including the use of Web 2.0 in medical and nursing education; Web 2.0 for researchers; the potential of crowdscourcing; patient information; and ethical and legal considerations. Each chapter provides a general overview of the issues, supported by practical examples and some more detailed case studies. The third part of the book consists of a number of practical examples of the way in which Web 2.0 has been successfully used in health information provision. These include using twitter in a hospital library, mashups, RSS and the use of Web 2.0 for staff development. While highly useful, some of these chapters did repeat information from Part 2. Integrating these examples with the more general descriptions may have been a more coherent approach.
The final section of the book looks to the future and speculates on what Web 3.0 will mean for health information over the next decade.
Using Web 2.0 for Health Information is a valuable resource for information studies students and their tutors as well as health information managers/professionals planning the development of their service. As an edited collection, the chapters vary in format, but all are well written. It is, therefore, a useful addition to the Web 2.0 literature, as it brings together examples of interesting approaches to health information aimed at a range of audiences.
