Quality of Blogs

I have actually been amazed at the quality and depth I have seen in some of the blogs.  There is a great variety as well.  It is clear to me who has the gift of writing and who is doing this because it is something we need to do for this class.
This is not different from the blogs we see on the internet.  There are personal opinions written as fact which are then quoted from one blog to another.  Links often take you from an article to a blog which does not have any evidence or footnotes listed.  Some links are almost pop-culture, advertising done as a blog to make you think it is something real and related to your health (I looked up Thyroid function and got to two blogs that ended up selling their own on line books or products.)
Within the class there are also people who clearly are thoughtful scholars with information to share that makes us all see the world differently.
I also appreciate the humor I found in many.
This is more difficult than I thought it would be, but it is also a bit cathartic.
Perhaps I could get in the habit of trying to write a bit every night.  Something I often tell my clients to do.  I explain that just finding one thing that you are grateful for or that went well each night can help you center on the positive which has great potential to improve your overall health.

A great article on Smart phone use and their impact on healthcare

In looking at technology last week, I was very focused on looking at Second Life and the role of the Virtual World of Health Care. In doing so, I was a bit frustrated because I had trouble really getting my Avatar and I to work together.  I have now taken a bit of a break, and am looking again at the vast array of ways patients, families, caregivers and providers can find the answers to their health care questions.
I started researching for a paper I am doing in another class and was  looking at other blogs and the sites on the internet that make accessing information so much easier than just a decade ago. I find that I am often buried in links that go to other links, etc.  I have also noticed that you can find health care information as part of most mainstream monthly magazines (How to prevent Childhood Obesity,  Making healthy meals your children will eat, The family that plays together grows old together, etc).  But, what got me to this blog today is an article I just found on how smartphones are really changing how we look at healthcare from a consumer and a provider point of view.  I am posting it her for your interest and comments as well.

http://www.chcf.org/publications/2010/04/how-smartphones-are-changing-health-care-for-consumers-and-providers
I hope you enjoy it 

Survior of Davis Island??

As a fairly smart woman who was taught  how to use a computer at the age of 30 by my 10 year old son, I have spent the last 20+ years thinking I can do just about anything with a computer if I just sit down and try.  I taught myself excel and powerpoint (I can even insert movies, music and animate a bit). I have explored web sites far and wide and lost myself for hours in cyberspace. But, this past two weeks, I have hit a wall.  I have been going to Second Life to really learn how to explore the world that we can create and try things out in.  A cyber lab if you will.  Well, I viewed You Tube videos, and then practiced.  I spent hours until I finally could change my clothes!
Now I am not in any way bad mouthing this virtual reality world.  Every video I have seen makes me more determined than ever to figure it out.


This is a good thing, I find when I struggle the most, I get an Ah Ha moment and all things fall into place.  I just feel like I am on the reality show Survivor.  Will I find the right people to be friends with so I get the password to let me go where I want to go. 

This is a safe place at least.  I know I will be protected when I get to where I am going, a virtual medical center.  A place where you can see what it feels like to be paranoid schizophrenic, practice disaster drills without real people, hold seminars and countless learning labs, and still be anonymous.  In this way, you can say what you really believe to be true and not be held to retribution.  If you are a patient , there is no way for your data to be stolen, only the MD knows who you are.

There are a lot of opportunities to use this virtual world to try and find ways to do things for the population going forward.  To study what we could do in a disaster like a major earthquake.  Where would you set up your shelters, how to staff them, etc.

There is a site for people with disabilities to go to for learning activities.  I think the applications for this are endless, I just need to find my way. 
I do think it should start by making the process a little easier for those of us who are digital immigrants.!!

Looking toward Social Networking and the link to personal healthcare

A quick google search this week on Healthcare topics lead me to an interesting site called iHealthbeat. 

iHealthBeat is a free, daily news digest reporting on technology's impact on health care. iHealthBeat is part of the California HealthCare Foundation's commitment to important issues affecting health care policy, delivery and financing.
iHealthBeat editors review more than 300 newspapers, journals, and trade publications to produce daily news summaries.

In the headlines today was the article from the Baltimore Sun from 10/11/10 called

Health Care Providers Embracing Social Media To Attract Customers

In this article, the power of Facebook, Twitter, and Group coupons ( new phenomenon where the company puts out an offer for 50-90% off a product for a 24 hour period of time, which is good only if a specified number of participants can be found.  Therefore each person who is interested in the coupon is going to spread it across the social media network of their choice to try and garner enough takers so the coupon becomes valid).

Non-personal types of health care were featured like discounts on teeth whitening or eye exams and eye glasses.  The customers seem very satisfied with the outcomes and the health care provider has gotten a rush of media publicity at a minimal cost.  One dentist had 30 appointments from a Groupon with 29 people signing up for a follow up appointment at regular prices.

This type of social networking is also found for several home care agencies, home health agencies, senior care facilities, health care political groups to name a few.  Just searching the words, "health", "health care" , "help for seniors" within Facebook lead to multiple companies who had pages on Facebook to introduce the community to their services.

It will be interesting to see how these networks grow as rules around personal health care information security gets tighter in the era of the electronic medical record and healthcare reform.  For now, however, social networking may be a way to increase knowledge and grow your business for a much lower cost.  The consumer is going to have to do their due diligence as well to be sure that these are all legitimate businesses with good credentials.

 

 

Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2010/10/12/health-care-providers-embracing-social-media-to-attract-customers.aspx#ixzz13dAmtbcX

Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/about.aspx#ixzz13d9pZ9x5

Creating a Blog for the first time

I am trying to decide what type of blog I really want to create.  I find that I appreciate blogs that share special inspirational stories, not something I will be good at doing, and blogs where I can learn something.  I hope this blog will serve as the latter for me and anyone who reads it.
I am very interested in learning about ways to help those of us in the middle of the baby boomer generation.  How do we become or stay healthy.  How do we help are parents, children and grandchildren become the healthies and most independent they can be.
How can we re-design the system to put the patients in the center of determining their care.  I would like to see who in the communities is willing and available to partner with a non-medical agency to provide the contniuum of care between those transitions we all go through.
I look forward to doing the research to find links I think may help all of us.  If you see anything, I may like, please let me know.
Happy Blogging