A study of nurses relying upon handheld devices found that 16 percent said the mobile equipment had helped them avoid at least one error in clinical treatment while another six percent indicated it had enabled them to avoid errors on multiple occasions. Social Media ROI ReformMeasuring the success of yourhospital’s social media efforts... 
Mark Newbold (@drmarknewbold), a UK NHS Trust CEO, suggests that Twitter helps healthcare CEOs:
* facilitate openness * learn * be in the moment * engage with their communities of interest * share knowledge * network * link to other media to disseminate knowledge
[AS: Thanks to Anne Marie Cunningham (@amcunningham) for directing me to this post from last month which had escaped my attention. I'm now following Mark on Twitter, and will definitely add his blog to my RSS.] 
David Lee Scher, MD writes:
"In his book ‘The Creative Destruction of Medicine’, Dr. Eric Topol highlights a few areas important to the transformation of medicine; wireless sensors, genomics, information systems, mobile connectivity, the Internet, social networking, and computing power.
I believe that all of these sectors have significant utility in patient advocacy. I will discuss the medical app as a patient advocacy tool insomuch as it represents a convergence of many of these areas in some finished products." 
Brian S. McGowan (@CMEAdvocate) on:
* The value of social learning Social media as 'the natural evolution of the social learning that takes place in hallways and lecture halls' for healthcare professionals
* How medical practices can utilize social media - Provision and co-ordination of patient care - Engaging the public in discussion of preventative health and disease management - Education and staff development
* How patients can use social media - For peer discovery - To offer and receive support and counsel - To share experiences - Perhaps, in the right places and from the right people, to be directed to appropriate health information^
[AS: ^this is my add; I'm extrapolating from Brian's suggestion that users may encouter representatives of or links to high-quality resources like ACOR where they will also encounter 'in-depth conversations when Twitter character limits won't suffice' (although personally, I always challenge the 'can't say this in 140' idea. You can! Be concise. Then publish another tweet.] 
Technology can “connect the dots” of data that have the power to reduce costs and enhance care.
It’s true that projects like the NHS’s National Programme for IT fell short of expectations, but the truth remains that systems that don’t talk to each other to share patient information create costly silos. 
Figuring out what physicians' interests are, what they are trying to achieve, and whether they have specific goals or are just exploring the platforms is essential to helping them use social media effectively.
[AS: NB this article spans five pages, and you'll need to click though at the bottom to read it all. Props to @danamlewis for some nice quotes, including the one above.] 
On 'The Examined Life', and the use of creative writing to help young physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals 'maintain their humanity' 
Jane Sarasohn-Kahn (@healthythinker) summarises some data from a recent Manhattan Research report:
* 14% of health-social media folks are “health-sharers” who have posted an entry or comment on a health blog, a message on a health message board or online community, a patient testimonial, or health ratings online (sub population of health social media users). Chris Rangel, MD writes:
'How did it get to this pathetic point where a guy in rural Brazil can upload a picture of his strange rash to someone in China in real time but I can’t get critical medical information on a patient found unconscious until their doctor’s office opens the next business day?
Given all of the concern about online privacy and hacked Facebook accounts you might think that the health care industry is cautiously avoiding systems where private information could be compromised (never mind that there has not been a massive collapse of the credit markets from widespread identity theft and fraud from 100s of million of Facebook users).
The motivation of the health care industry in avoiding interconnected medical record systems is not to protect patients but rather, to protect itself. 
Cerner is setting up a dedicated UK cloud for the NHS.
Cerner Chief of Staff Jeff Townsend said:
“In the UK we’re standing up a dedicated cloud-based set of services.”
In the future, Townsend says the national NHS Choose and Book services, run by Atos Origin using the Millennium booking engine, could be delivered as a cloud-based service. The current Choose and Book contract is coming to its end. 
Full abstract from J Telemed Telecare April 2012 vol. 18 no. 3 125-127 follows:
Skype is a popular and free software application that allows PCs and mobile devices to be used for video communication over the Internet.
We reviewed the literature to determine whether the clinical use of Skype is supported by evidence. One small (n = 7) controlled clinical trial had assessed the effect of nursing communication using Skype on elderly patients with dementia and their carers. However, we were unable to identify any large, well-designed studies which had formally evaluated the safety, clinical effectiveness, security and privacy of Skype for the routine delivery of patient care.
While there were many case reports and small studies, no firm evidence either in favour of, or against the use of Skype for clinical telehealth was found. The risks and benefits of using Skype for clinical purposes are not known. 
A definition of the ideal doctor-patient relationship may include:
• Shared Beliefs • Compassion and Care • Being Present • Mutual Respect • Knowledge & Experience • Confidence & Humility • Personal Chemistry • Honesty & Integrity • Trust & Confidentiality
[AS: what would you add?] |
A life sciences funding group is offering to help university researchers prove that their digital health ideas are strong enough to turn into real businesses. The QED Proof-of-Concept Program is seeking applications in this space for the first time, according to a statement from the University City Science Center.
Run by the University City Science Center, this program was the first of its kind for life sciences and includes 21 institutions across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Its fifth round, launched today, will support up to 16 projects, six more than in previous rounds, and provide funding for up to four of them. The deadline for application submissions is the end of July. "This isn't an addition to your job. This is part of your job," says Farris Timimi, Mayo Clinic cardiologist and Medical Director of Mayo Clinic's Center for Social Media. 
Mike Robie, MD writes:
Educate – A physician educating a patient is nothing new but incorporating it into your EMR and social media campaign is a foreign idea to many physicians. I can write a blog on the symptoms of diabetes and then direct my patients there by email, text, or QR codes in the exam room. I can even use the power of my EMR in conjunction with an automated messaging service to send a reminder to all my uncontrolled diabetics to watch their sugars more closely with tips that I design.
Inform – As more patients and their families are using smart phones and mobile devices, shouldn’t physicians change the way we inform patients with important information? I should be able to text patients and let them know that a prescription has been filled or that their labs are back and have been reviewed.
Remind – As the population ages, more kids are going to become involved with their parents’ healthcare. To streamline communication healthcare providers will want to create simple, automated reminders for appointments. As for a social media campaign, you will be able to remind patients of services offered as well mention upcoming events or other special announcements. 
The Memorial Herman hospital (@houstonhospital) live tweeted the removal of a cancerous brain tumour on 9 May 2012, and used the hashtag #MHbrain 
Key findings from a new Manhattan Research report suggest of U.S. practicing physicians online (n=3,015) suggest:
* Tablets, mostly iPads, are mainstream: Physician tablet adoption for professional purposes almost doubled since 2011, reaching 62 percent in 2012, with the iPad being the dominant platform. Furthermore, one-half of tablet-owning physicians have used their device at the point-of-care.
[AS: Tech uptake is hardly surprising bearing in mind the underlying trends, but the suggestion that physician communities are stagnating is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this report.
The notion that physicians are resorting to 'water cooler behaviour' in their professional connections needs digging into. I suspect there's more to be said about the evolution of HCP behaviours outside of the constraints of professional communities.] 
Dr Amir Hannan explains how his practice has saved money and resources by providing access to records and self-care advice on its website:
"We now have over 1,850 patients accessing their records. Some 16% of patients have currently signed up, with on average 10-30 patients signing up every week. Patients from the ages of zero to over 90 have joined the scheme, with the largest group being women between the ages of 20 and 65. Nearly 30% of our patients with type 1 diabetes, 34% of our obese patients, 46% of patients on methotrexate and 9% of our Bengali patients now have access to their records.
Overall 16% of our practice's patients have signed up. Over the last three months there were over 40,000 page views on our website, averaging over 13,000 page views per month, and over 3,400 recorded logins for a range of online services and access to electronic records.
There were an average of five online visits per patient – well over 650 individual patients out of the total of 1,850 patients registered went online over this time. An average of 50 appointments and 20 appointment cancellations were made online each month, helping improve access and reduce DNA rates.
We have recently completed a joint study with Manor House surgery in Glossop to show that, as a result of providing patients access to their records, we could make savings of almost £20 per patient per year in saved appointments.
Our study showed that on average, we have saved more than one appointment per patient per year and that we saved more than three telephone consultations per patient. The full results of this study will be published soon."
[AS: Will financial savings rather than moral obligation be what finally expedites the provision of electronic health records to patients?] 
A US survey by Medscape suggests that dissatisfacion with medicine among physicians is intensifying, with only 54% of physicians indicating that they would choose medicine again as a career, compared to 69% last year.
[AS: Is this your experience?] 
Saroj (@sospokesaroj) writes:
'There is no denying that social media has taken hold globally. Its value as a tool for patient education and empowerment is slowly being realized in the United States as well as in other countries. Patients, in many cases, vet their doctors by searching for them on social media sites to learn more about them and what they do.
Social media is also being embraced in developing countries among physicians, medical students, and public health workers alike. However, there is still more work to be done to promote patient empowerment in those countries.' 
[Digital health is] a sector that’s bringing together an unlikely mix of game makers and medical experts, engineers and researchers — all focused on a common goal of improving health. 
On April 18, The General Medical Council, which regulates medical practice in the UK, opened up its draft guidance on doctors' use of social media for consultation. Comments can be made until June 13, and the results will be published by the end of the year.
The guidance emphasises the need to maintain patient confidentiality, provide accurate information, treat colleagues with respect, avoid anonymity online if writing in a professional capacity, be aware of how content is shared, review privacy settings and online presence, declare conflicts of interest, and maintain separate personal and professional profiles. 
Dr. Anne Marice Cunningham (@amcunningham) writes:
'Will social media have a major impact on the practice of medicine? We do not know yet, but the pace of change is rapid. It took 100 years from invention of the telephone for it to reach 50% of UK households in the mid-1970s. Has the telephone radically changed medical practice? Facebook reached 50% of the UK population in 5 years. Will it be a more powerful disruptor?
In 2011, 99% of those with a household income above £40,000 had internet access, whilst only 43% of those with household income below £12,500 did. The gaps are narrowing, but if we change our practices we need to consider how the digital divide will impact on access for the poorest, and most vulnerable.
Dean Jenkins (@dean_jenkins) writes:
'I've been meaning to do this for a while but haven't got to grips with the references I've picked up over the last year or so concerning the use of technology in the care of people with diabetes - especially young adults. Key technologies are mobile phone text messaging, websites (with secure messaging to health care staff, and educational / social interaction) and automated data capture (continuous glucose monitoring, physical activity etc.).
So, to focus the mind I've posted some selected references and wondered if anyone knew other papers that were similar. Will then go back to the literature and do a systematic search and try and write up a review.
***Anyone keen to help?***' |
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