December 22nd, 2011 by AnthonyKomaroffMD in Research
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The people you live with, work with, talk to, email, chatter with on Twitter and Facebook—your social network—can be good medicine, or bad.
The intriguing new science of social networks is demonstrating how personal interconnections can affect our health. Ideas and habits that influence health for better or for worse can spread through social networks in much the same way that germs spread through communities. In social networks, though, transmission can happen even though the people may be hundreds of miles apart.
An article in the December issue of the Harvard Men’s Health Watch explores how social networks can affect weight and mood.
Spreading weight
A study of people taking part in the landmark Framingham Heart Study found that Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Harvard Health Blog*
November 30th, 2011 by DavidHarlow in Health Policy, Opinion
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Harvard Pilgrim Health Care is re-launching Let’s Talk Health Care, which started life as former CEO Charlie Baker’s blog. There’s a series of related discussions going on now in the Let’s Talk Health Care Linked In group, sponsored by Harvard Pilgrim. I’ve been participating (at the request of the group organizer; disclosure: client) and would like to invite you to do the same.
A salient characteristic of the site and of the group is the focus on three broad categories of care and cost: fostering health and wellness, balancing quality and cost, and redefining care coordination — all of which are informed by a focus on chronic health care issues.
One of the great successes of modern medicine is the conquest of most infectious disease. (Equitable global distribution of the tools necessary for eradication is another story — and some of the more compelling chapters of that story are being told these days by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.) One of the great failures of the modern consumer state is Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at HealthBlawg :: David Harlow's Health Care Law Blog*
November 28th, 2011 by Michael Sevilla, M.D. in Opinion
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Ever feel like you’re kind of stuck and you need a change? I was there last week. With the upcoming Thanksgiving week, life was adding more stress that was difficult to handle. For weeks now, I felt like I was taking all my efforts and playing catch up. Don’t get me wrong. I’m very happy where I’m at right now professionally and personally. I was just tired.
“Social Media Fatigue” is a dirty little secret that the early adopters never write about – especially those in health care social media. That’s why I was surprised when a few months ago, my good friend, Seattle Mama Doc wrote the post “Online Sabbitical.”
I’m taking an online sabbatical this month. Consider this an act of both self-reflection and self-awareness but also an act of self-preservation. As any blogger knows, blogging every few days, taking photographs daily, approving and responding to comments 24 hours a day (7 days a week), while authoring content in your head every few paces, is an entirely consuming experience. Blogging has completely changed my life. And this job is an utter privilege… But I’ve been consuming media, blogging, and authoring content without reprieve since November 11, 2009.
Now, my blogging frequency and my podcast frequency have Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Family Medicine Rocks Blog*
November 23rd, 2011 by Berci in Opinion
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For the last 4 years, I’ve been teaching medical and public health students about the use of social media and generally digital technologies in medicine and healthcare and I got a good picture of what kind of medical professionals they would become soon. They represent the new generation of physicians.
Here are my points and observations:
- They are technophile. I remember the time when there was no internet, I remember the first website I first saw online. They were born into the technology and internet-based world. For them, websites, Facebook, Twitter and blogs represent the basics. They love gadgets and devices.
- They are fast. They use smartphones, read news online, follow blogs and know what RSS is, they are familiar with multi-tasking. They are much faster than the previous generations, therefore they need different tools and solutions in their work.
- But they use the technology for Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
October 25th, 2011 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Opinion
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While most of us fail to see it, doctors are changing. We’re changing as a result of the social and technological innovation. In 2050 what we do and how we do it will be very different from what we did at the turn of the century. We’re evolving from analog to digital. I think it’s important to consider the ‘digital physician’ as a concept worthy of attention. The training and support of this emerging prototype has to meet its different needs and workflows. Perhaps the criteria by which we choose medical students should take into consideration the anticipated skill sets and demands of this next generation. And we need hard information about the digital physician and her habits.
Here are some differences between the digital and analog physician:
The digital physician
- Information consumption is web-based
- Rarely uses a pen. Care and correspondence is conducted through an EMR.
- Socially connected. Comfortable with real time dialog at least on a peer-to-peer level. Recognizes Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
