Google forms Health Advisory Council but excludes nurses and other key professions

[rnformatics]

It seems that Google has really stepped in it with their recent announcement of the Google Health Advisory Council. According to Google, "We often seek expertise from outside the company, and health is no exception. We have formed an advisory council, made up of healthcare experts from provider organizations, consumer and disease-based groups, physician organizations, research institutions, policy foundations, and other fields. The mission of the Google Health Advisory Council is broadly to help us better understand the problems consumers and providers face every day and offer feedback on product ideas and development."

If you look at the list of professionals on the Google Health Advisory Council, you'll see that they have excluded the largest segment of healthcare providers - nurses! And, since Google seems to be so interested in cataloging, categorizing, and searching information, there is also some concern that they have excluded medical librarians from The Council.

Also, Graham Walker on his Over My Med Body! blog makes this interesting observation:

"Google announces a new “Health Advisory Council” with a lot of big names, but no medical students or likely anyone in the health care industry (by their faces and descriptions at least) under 35 or 40. (Hint, Google: medical students and residents are your power users and early adopters of medical technology, and are most likely to be open to change in the health care system!) Add some youth to your perspective–we’re the ones who’ve grown up with technology!"

Finally, Kevin Pho's Kevin M.D. Medical Weblog has an excellent roundup of some of the outrage and dissappointment over Google's Health Advisory Council announcement.

[srwilson-cmt]

I too would like to jump on the bandwagon. Nursing represents the largest portion of healthcare givers in the United States--and they aren't on the advisory council? I applaud Google for their attempt of forming the Council, but respectfully request they add several nursing representatives.