May 29th, 2011 by Berci in News
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There is a really moving story on CNN.com about a blogger who left a post mortem message on his blog after his battle with cancer. I’ve seen many blogs which just became archives after the blogger (mainly cancer patients) passed away. This is the first time in my experience when the blogger made this transition himself.
“Here it is. I’m dead,” read the last internet post of Derek K. Miller, who died last week after more than four years of blogging about his struggle with colorectal cancer.
“In advance, I asked that once my body finally shut down from the punishments of my cancer, then my family and friends publish this prepared message I wrote — the first part of the process of turning this from an active website to an archive,” he wrote on his blog, penmachine.com.
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
December 3rd, 2009 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, Opinion
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I see it from time to time. The doctor with a voice who’s uncomfortable with transparency. They post and comment under the cozy blanket of putative anonymity. But it’s bad policy. Here’s why doctors need to be outed in social media:
Anonymity is a fantasy. It’s remarkably difficult to achieve. With small thoughts you can hide – in fact, no one cares who you are. If you offer anything worth hearing people will ultimately find out who you are. And the plaintiff attorneys will always sniff you out.
You need a reality check. Anonymity gives us phony security and opens the door for us to say the things we wouldn’t normally say. There’s no editorial influence more powerful than knowing that my patients and my boss are listening. While an incendiary rant may serve to vent frustrations and drive traffic, it just fuels the perception of doctors as cynical, frustrated folks. And we don’t need help with that. Read more »
April 26th, 2009 by Dr. Val Jones in Humor, Medblogger Shout Outs
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This post is republished from Paul Levy’s blog. Please feel free to repost and distribute to raise awareness of those who do not enjoy free speech:
Thanks to T at Notes of an Anesthesioboist for getting this going, a group of bloggers is holding a blog rally in support of Roxana Saberi, who is spending her birthday on a hunger strike in Tehran’s Evin Prison, where she has been incarcerated for espionage. According to NPR, “The Iranian Political Prisoners Association lists hundreds of people whose names you would be even less likely to recognize: students, bloggers, dissidents, and others who, in a society that lacks a free press, dare to practice free expression.”
Hearing reports like these has prompted us to do a ribbon campaign. Blue for blogging.
Please consider placing a blue ribbon on your blog or website this week in honor of the journalists, bloggers, students, and writers who are imprisoned in Evin Prison, nicknamed “Evin University,” and other prisons around the world, for speaking and writing down their thoughts. Also, please ask others to join our blog rally
February 22nd, 2009 by Dr. Val Jones in Medblogger Shout Outs
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I thought I’d highlight some interesting posts written by my peers this week. Keep up the great blogging, everyone!
Healthcare Policy
This is what happens when you begin the process of bailing out key stakeholders in our economy: h/t Happy Hospitalist
Britain’s NHS has hired teams of bureaucrats whose sole purpose is to enforce health coverage denials. Dr. Crippen also notes that the NHS will cover sex change operations, but not ear repair from piercings.
The number of Americans without health insurance is increasing by 14,000/day. H/t Shadow Fax.
Just Plain Gross
Thanks to Medgadget for featuring a story on grey nurse sharks. Apparently their young, while still in the womb, cannibalize each other until only one is left in the uterus. They even linked to a video of fetal sharks devouring one another. Eww!
Bad Science Of The Week
Thanks to Mark Hoofnagle for deconstructing the laughable PLoS article suggesting that cell phone exposure increases migraine risk but decreases Alzheimer’s and epilepsy risk. The study was a statistical fishing expedition that proposes random cause and effect.
Good Doctor
Dr. Theresa Chan coaxed a 90 year old man out of somnolent delirium by singing to him.
“Bad Doctor”
By not caving in to a 16 year old’s request for a medical excuse from school or admitting a patient to the hospital for walker training and observation, this doctor won no brownie points with his patients.
Funny Patient
Nurse Gina witnesses a post-op patient give a doctor a math lesson.
Tragedy
A physician mother struggles with the immanent death of her 4-year-old with brain cancer.
