I suspect COVID-19 and our one year experiment with virtual conferences may force us to rethink the future of medical meetings. I began asking questions about medical conferences a long time ago. I saw them as expensive junkets to endure boring speakers talking about stuff that I could get on other media. Kinda like medical students who skip the the amphitheater in ... Continue Reading about The Future of Medical Meetings
Backchannel – The Vanishing Conversation at Meetings
The Twitter conversation happening at medical meetings used to be called the backchannel. Chatter in those spaces was once a trivial thing. I don't hear the term so much at big meetings. It’s moving closer to the front. And for good reason. When you go to ASCO how can you argue that Twitter is anything less important that the hallway dialog? Our digital and IRL ... Continue Reading about Backchannel – The Vanishing Conversation at Meetings
(How) Should Patients be Present at Medical Meetings?
After reading Lucien Engelen’s BMJ editorial this past summer, I couldn’t help but think: Should patients be present at all medical meetings? Or better: Is there ever a time and place where doctors should meet without patients? The e-patient voice is critical. But, as important, we must think about where that voice best fits. We must move beyond they have to be ... Continue Reading about (How) Should Patients be Present at Medical Meetings?
Should Twitter be Regulated at Medical Meetings?
The organizer of medical meetings in Milan recently made an appeal (tongue-in-cheek, it would appear) to attendees to avoid status updates and mindless backchannel banter. The social side of any conference is important, and Twitter, being part of the social media, will naturally show that side. There is, however, a danger that the orchestra’s symphony will be drowned ... Continue Reading about Should Twitter be Regulated at Medical Meetings?
How Important are Medical Meetings?
This post by Wes Fisher is worth a peek. In his description of this year’s American College of Cardiology meeting he captures the changing face of medicine through the realities of medical meetings. Personally I’ve wondered if there's a future in bringing doctors across the country once a year to sit in a dark room so they can listen to the friend of a society ... Continue Reading about How Important are Medical Meetings?
Internet Cafe – Is It the End of an Era for Medical Meetings?
Is it the end of the internet cafe at medical meetings? Has the sponsored kiosk with 'free access to the world wide web' run its course? I remember the day when there were lines at machines like this. We clamored to pick up our email. Now email and other inputs reach some 80% of doctors through their smartphones. The sponsored cafe will soon be a relic of our past. ... Continue Reading about Internet Cafe – Is It the End of an Era for Medical Meetings?