The world of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube is pretty foreign to me – until a few weeks ago I didn’t even know what a blog was. I looked it up on Wikipedia.
Then, however, I was fascinated: The possibility of being able to reach many people with modern media and to interact directly led me to abandon my reticence.
As a doctor dealing with a chronic disease, about which there is much to tell and which requires a high degree of information exchange, I found the idea of my own Internet blog exciting. When AMSEL approached me with this idea, I was therefore quite easy to enthuse.
The Internet is both a curse and a blessing for those affected by MS. It is a blessing because patients today have more comprehensive opportunities to inform themselves about the disease than ever before. Never before have therapeutic options and medical action been so transparently comprehensible.
On the other hand, there is a confusing amount of information on the net. Not infrequently, this includes misinformation or misinterpreted facts – and often the despair of many patients is exploited by unfair offers and promises of healing.
But since the Internet is the global source of information, doctors should not shy away from using this medium to give patients important and correct information that they can rely on. In my view, this can make a significant contribution to coping with the disease. Because I experience again and again that well-informed patients cope significantly better with their illness.
I am often confronted with questions that are very relevant – not only for the person who asked the question. This was also an important argument for me for the internet blog. That one can share important information and the answer to important questions with many people and thus eliminate doubt and uncertainty – with the goal of making the disease more predictable and tolerable for the individual.
Let’s see if it works. But it’s definitely the plan. I want to tell you about my everyday life, report on problem solutions and bring you closer to the concepts of multiple sclerosis. You should also receive reliable information that will help you to better weigh up the content of homepages or discussions in forums. If the blog helps to reduce uncertainty, then I am satisfied….
I’m also looking forward to interacting with you – I’m very curious about your comments and your criticism. So, join me in MS 2.0
Best regards
Your Mathias Mäurer
