In an era where stories of illness are increasingly being shared via social media, this conference is timely. It promises to be fascinating https://epatientsconference.wordpress.com/

ePatients: The Medical, Ethical and Legal Repercussions of Blogging and Micro-Blogging Experiences of Illness and Disease

Queen’s University Belfast, 11-12 September 2015

Call for Papers – deadline April 3, 2015:

‘We welcome paper proposals dealing with ePatient accounts from a variety of countries and cultures which address the following questions:

What does the rise in social media (“web 2.0”) participation by patients tell us about the ways in which the growing influence of e-patients is challenging the power structures of traditional healthcare and, as a result, proving contentious?
In what ways might social media narratives of illness be seen as a useful source of information for medics? What, conversely, are their limitations?
How do patients influence their online followers, and vice-versa?
What are the ethical issues involved in documenting ‘the public deathbed’?
What are the potential legal consequences of publicly chronicling the clinical experience?’