I have been thinking about concept of the wicked problem and how it could explain our debate and deep division over COVID’s public health management. What’s a wicked problem? Proposed by University of California professors W.J. Rittel and Melvin M. Webber in a 1973 article in Policy Sciences journal, a wicked problem describes a problem that is difficult ... Continue Reading about Why We Can’t See COVID as a Wicked Problem
Doctors and the Media: Why Can’t Physicians See Their Role?
This tweet about doctors and the media from Dr. Aaron Carroll made me think: Just spent 15 minutes talking on background to a reporter who was thinking of writing a story in an area I'd written on previously, and I don't understand why researchers and physicians are so reticent to talk to the media. This is how knowledge gets out there. The problem is that ... Continue Reading about Doctors and the Media: Why Can’t Physicians See Their Role?
Theranos and the Media Hype Cycle
Theranos has emerged as a cautionary tale in digital health. The darling of modern diagnostics, it turns out that things aren’t what they seem. Of course, Elizabeth Holmes was just trying to make a buck. That’s her job. But let's talk about the people who should have been asking the hard questions. The real story is about the media that built Theranos. On the ... Continue Reading about Theranos and the Media Hype Cycle
The Medical Media Continuum | Where to put ideas
One of the biggest challenges I face today is where to put things. Not my stethoscope or reflex hammer, but more important things. Like ideas and media. It’s a new problem. Until recently doctors had no place to put ideas. Sounds odd. But think about it ... We could share ideas in the surgical lounge with our peers. We could share it in the auditorium of the local ... Continue Reading about The Medical Media Continuum | Where to put ideas
Doctors and the Private-Professional Divide
Video and communications expert Drew Keller spoke this afternoon at the 6th Annual Health Care Social Media Summit at the Mayo Clinic. He described the experience of working with doctors and suggested that they have two modes of communication: private and professional. In private, and with patients, they have natural, easy ways of using language, expression, and ... Continue Reading about Doctors and the Private-Professional Divide
The Implosion of the Medical Blogosphere
Wes Fisher’s take on the slow death of the medical blogosphere is something to look at. I suspect most doctors reading his post will have no idea what he’s talking about. To understand the fabric of the medical community before social media requires having seen it. It was a world connected by nothing other than blogrolls, dynamic comment threads and the memorable ... Continue Reading about The Implosion of the Medical Blogosphere