November 27th, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: AMA, American Medical Association, Archives of Internal Medicine, Choosing A Good Doctor On The Internet, Doctor Rating Sites, Doctor Ratings, Doctor Reviews on the Web, Doctors' Ratings Accountability, Dr. Kevin Pho, Dr. Nancy Nielsen, Finding A Doctor Online, Going Online To Look For A Doctor, Journal of General Internal Medicine, KevinMD, Online Doctor Reviews, Online Patient Reviews Of Doctors, Online Physicians Ratings, Patient-Physician Communication, Searching Your Doctor's Name Online, Tara Lagu, USA Today
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The following op-ed was published on October 27th, 2010 in USA Today:
When I ask new patients how they found me, frequently they say on the Internet through search engines such as Google.
Out of curiosity, I recently Googled myself. Numerous ads appeared, promising readers a “detailed background report” or a “profile” of me. Among the search results was information about my practice, whether I was board certified, had any lawsuits against me, and reviews from online doctor rating sites. Thankfully, most were favorable, but some were not.
Can patients reliably choose a good doctor online?
People already choose restaurants, movies, and their college professors based on what they read on the Internet, so it’s inevitable that many will research their doctors on the Web as well. But there are some good reasons consumers should be wary of the information they find online about doctors.
Random information?
An Archives of Internal Medicine study in September found that most publicly available information on individual physicians — such as disciplinary actions, the number of malpractice payments, or years of experience — had little correlation with whether they adhered to the recommended medical guidelines. In other words, there’s no easy way to research how well a doctor manages conditions such as heart disease or diabetes. That kind of relevant performance data are hidden from the public. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
November 27th, 2010 by GruntDoc in Better Health Network, News, Opinion
Tags: AMA, amednews, American Medical Association, American Medical News, Dr. Allen Roberts, Earlier Articles, GruntDoc, Medical Publishing, Online Archive, Past Content
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Via the American Medical Associations’s American Medical News article “Welcome to our archives“:
Now, our extensive online archive, paired with search and article collections by topic, puts thousands of stories at your fingertips.
Add to that a growing collection of Web-only content, such as our interactive tool for tracking health-plan earnings and a “Vault” page that will take you directly to articles and multimedia on topics of enduring interest (www.amednews.com/vault).
Most of that older content has been behind an access-control wall. By knocking down that barrier, we are making available 10 years of full content and several years more of selected earlier articles. All told, about 15,000 articles now can be searched and read.
We invite our readers to visit the archives and link to our articles from their own sites, blogs and posts.
Thanks, AMedNews! I suppose an I told you so would be rude, so I won’t.
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
November 27th, 2010 by Berci in Better Health Network, Medical Art, News, Research
Tags: Australia, Biologic Artistry, Biological Cinematography, Biological Development, Biological Visualization, Cell Animation, Cell Biologist, Cell Biology, Dr. Bertalan Mesko, Drew Berry, Genes and Jazz, Medical Art, Melbourne, Microbiology, Molecular Animation, Robert Lue, Science Roll, The New York Times, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
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The New York Times published an article (with VIDEO) about molecular animators, scientists who can visualize the microscopic segments of life in a professional way:
If there is a Steven Spielberg of molecular animation, it is probably Drew Berry, a cell biologist who works for the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia. Mr. Berry’s work is revered for artistry and accuracy within the small community of molecular animators, and has also been shown in museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. In 2008, his animations formed the backdrop for a night of music and science at the Guggenheim Museum called “Genes and Jazz.”
“Scientists have always done pictures to explain their ideas, but now we’re discovering the molecular world and able to express and show what it’s like down there,” Mr. Berry said. “Our understanding is just exploding.”
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
November 27th, 2010 by DavidHarlow in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, Medblogger Shout Outs, News
Tags: Advance Directives, Blog Rally, Choosing How To Die, David Harlow, Death Panels, DNR, Do Not Resuscitate, End Of Life Care, End-Of-Life Planning, End-Of-Life Preferences, End-Of-Life Wishes, Engage With Grace, HealthBlawg, Healthcare Advocate, Healthcare Decisions, Healthcare Power Of Attorney, Healthcare Proxies, Living Will, Loved Ones' Wishes, Medical Ethics, Social Media, Terminal Illness, The One Slide
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As patients, as family members, as friends, as health care providers, we have all faced end-of-life issues at one time or another, and we will face them again. And again.
This weekend the “Engage With Grace” message is being broadcast virally, through a “blog rally,” at a time when many people are with family and friends over the long weekend. The point is: We all need to have the potentially uncomfortable conversation with people close to us about what kind of treatment we would want, and they would want, if incapable of making or communicating healthcare decisions. CNN ran a story on “Engage With Grace” yesterday.
End-of-life decision-making has long been an issue of great personal and professional interest to me, and I am proud to have played a role in having out-of-hospital DNR orders recognized in Massachusetts by EMS providers, as an example. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at HealthBlawg :: David Harlow's Health Care Law Blog*
November 26th, 2010 by RyanDuBosar in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News
Tags: ACP Internist, Air Travel, Airport Pat-Downs, Airport Scanners, American College Of Physicians, Full Body Scans, General Medicine, Infectious Disease, Jason Mustian, Manual Exam, Microwaves, Offensive, Passenger Safety, Personal Violation, Public Health, Radiology, Ryan DuBosar, Spread Of Disease, Spread of Infection, Spreading of Germs, Transportation Security Administration, Travel Health, Traveler Safety, TSA
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Potential health effects of airport security are being questioned for their possible health consequences, from spreading germs to radiation exposure to the stress that being searched induces.
With cheaper flights available this year and the need for security in air travel, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is justifying its full body scans and its pat-downs that rise up travelers’ legs — all the way up.
The scanners use microwaves, leading some to question whether people may be receiving too much radiation. It’s also a concern to activists who may have already undergone a lot of radiation for existing condition, or who have other conditions for which TSA agents may not be trained. (Read one seasoned traveler’s personal experience here.) The TSA reports the scanners expose users less energy than a cell phone.
Some protesters refused the body scans in favor of a pat-down, in an effort to tie up air travel on the day before Thanksgiving and force a review on the issue. But a manual exam spreads germs, say others.
Amid all the speculation of potential health consequences, federal officials are reminding travelers that the security measures are there for passenger safety. However, retorts Jason Mustian‘s Twitter feed, “Body scans and genital fondlings would save more lives if our government was paying to have them done in hospitals rather than airports.”
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
