While the world laments the absence of communication between doctor and patient, look no further than Stanford’s Packard Children’s Hospital for innovation. They’ve installed eight iMacs in their ER that, among other things, allow parents to chat with the ward clerk. It’s like an emasculated HelloHealth but only for your kid's ER visit. And if you’ve got some time ... Continue Reading about iChat Adopted at Packard Children’s Hospital ER
Teens Don’t Tweet
So what gives? Teens parade through my office texting. They have iPhones that accommodate the latest Twitter apps. But teens don’t tweet. So why might this be? And is there something about Twitter that’s less appealing to the younger set? To me it would seem to be the killer app for the young social networker. Perhaps that’s the problem. Teens aren’t social ... Continue Reading about Teens Don’t Tweet
Doctors Reviewed
This got me thinking: Is there something to those online sites that allow patients to review doctors? Do these sites allow real insight or simply provide a forum for those who indiscriminately want to rail on their doctor? I don’t know, but if you look at what people write about their doctors you’ll see marked polarity. There are those who believe their docs walk on ... Continue Reading about Doctors Reviewed
We’re All Patients
It looks like it’s the doctors versus the patients. Our healthcare system in on the verge of a government takeover – a move which would severely limit the health choices of the vast majority of Americans. Consequently, Dr. Val Jones of Better Health initiates a panel at the National Press Club with some of the brightest, most influential minds in the health ... Continue Reading about We’re All Patients
Preemptive Online Health Literacy
I recently discussed endoscopic biopsy results with a patient’s mother. Her child had inflammation in the upper intestinal tract with cells called eosinophils. As I began to explain the basics of tummy irritation and the significance of the eosinophils in her daughter’s duodenum she cut me off, “Actually doctor, you don’t need to go into too much detail, just spell ... Continue Reading about Preemptive Online Health Literacy
5 Things Every MD Should Know Before Using Twitter
Let’s face it, Twitter isn’t that hard to figure out. The interface is intuitive and a little time on the application makes its basic function pretty obvious. But there are a couple of things that medical newbie’s might keep in mind before taking the leap on to Twitter. While I didn’t find myself in any kind of trouble, I had to figure a few things out on my own. 1. ... Continue Reading about 5 Things Every MD Should Know Before Using Twitter