If you need evidence that social networks can save lives, have a look at PulsePoint, a crowdsourcing app for connecting cardiac arrest victims with assistance. As reported in Re/code this morning, PulsePoint’s free app connects to local 911 call centers and alerts users when there is someone nearby in need of CPR. PulsePoint users get an alert the same time as ... Continue Reading about App Crowdsources Assistance for Arrest Victims
The Rise of Medicine’s Creative Class
Are we witnessing the rise of a creative class in medicine? The creative class in medicine may be seen as a key driving force for change in a post-analog era. They are the disruptors willing to poke the box. The reason that this emerging segment of health care providers is so remarkable is that medicine typically punishes creativity. In medicine, makers make at ... Continue Reading about The Rise of Medicine’s Creative Class
Medicine and The Access Effect
I overheard on Twitter last week that there are institutions that don’t allow the use of smart phones by physicians. It seemed hard to believe. Then it made sense. Because we’re in transition between siloed and networked worlds. Our siloed world supports encounters with the health system that are isolated, episodic and dependent upon the capacity of a single ... Continue Reading about Medicine and The Access Effect
Can Google Help Us Choose Doctors?
Anyone involved in medical education should read Thomas Friedman’s, How to Get a Job at Google. Read the piece and think about how Google could help us choose doctors for medical school. Google’s criteria are centered on five areas: Cognitive ability. The ability to process on the fly. Leadership. Emergent leadership as opposed to traditional ... Continue Reading about Can Google Help Us Choose Doctors?
What Counts in Medicine
Last year I was part of a small group charged with building a social media toolkit for medical schools. An early conference call participant made it clear that if the project didn’t meet certain criteria for academic advancement, he’d be unable to participate. It was the last time we heard from him. Unfortunate but predictable. What counts is what brings ... Continue Reading about What Counts in Medicine
The Age of Individual Responsibility in Medicine
As physicians it used to be that people took care of how we looked. We used to be publicly represented by organizations like the American Medical Association and the public affairs office of our local hospitals. Our quotes were carefully chosen. We all looked good and sounded good. But the tools of publication have put us in the driver’s seat. For better or for ... Continue Reading about The Age of Individual Responsibility in Medicine