Increase in mHealth Usage | Pew Internet & American Life Project

The online health-information environment is going mobile, particularly among younger adults. The Pew Internet Project’s latest survey of American adults, conducted in association with the California HealthCare Foundation, finds that 85% use a cell phone.

Of those:

* 17% of cell owners have used their phone to look up health or medical information and 29% of cell owners ages 18-29 have done such searches.

* 9% of cell owners have software applications or “apps” on their phones that help them track or manage their health.Some 15% of those ages 18-29 have such apps.

This means that health-information searches and communications have joined the growing array of non-voice data applications that are being bundled into cell phones.

via pewinternet.org

 

 

Social Media Toolkit for Health

CDC Offers Guidance on Using Social Media To Share Health Care Data

CDC officials recently released the Health Communicator’s Social Media Toolkit, which offers guidance for sharing health information through social media, Federal Computer Week reports.The toolkit includes a chart of social media tools and what organizations need to use the tools. For example, podcasts and widgets require little staff time and can be done with relatively small budgets, while online video production and podcast creation require moderate amounts of staff time and funding.

CDC’s toolkit also includes a list of “Top Lessons Learned from Using Social Media,” compiled from CDC’s experience with several social media tools and websites. The list of lessons includes:

• Adopting low-risk tools — such as podcasts and widgets — first and selecting the most popular social media sites;
• Creating portable content and using mobile device applications to expand reach;
• Facilitating content sharing and encouraging interaction; and
• Establishing realistic goals and not relying on social media to meet all communications needs (Lipowicz, Federal Computer Week, 10/22).

Read more at www.ihealthbeat.org

 

NIMHANS Bangalore gets its Dues, at Last!

The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore has been elevated as an institute of national importance by the Union government. The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minster Dr Manmohan Singh approved a proposal of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in this regard recently.

The move makes NIMHANS on par with All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh and Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Puducherry.

via pharmabiz.com

The Cabinet also approved introduction of the “National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences Bangalore Bill, 2009” in Parliament. This will facilitate NIMHANS to develop patterns of teaching, with the flexibility to device new courses, constantly evolving syllabi. The Institute will be able to take up new courses that are required and are not currently part of the Medical Council of India (MCI) approved courses.

 

Radiology and Imaging CME at Mangalore, India

The department of radiology and medical imaging, Yenepoya Medical College, a constituent of Yenepoya University, here is organizing a one day Continuing Medical Education (CME) in radiology and medical imaging on Sunday October 24. Experienced and eminent faculties in the speciality will deliver guest lectures with stress on newer imaging technology.

Dr Sri Kumar, consultant radiologist AIMS Cochin, Dr Sushila K V, consultant radiologist Apollo Hospitals Chennai, Dr Rajgopal consultant radiologist KMC Manipal, Dr Santhosh Rai consultant radiologist KMC Mangalore, Dr Sajan consultant radiologist FMCH Mangalore and Dr Vidya Upadhyaya consultant radiologist KSHEMA Mangalore will be the guest speakers.

via daijiworld.com

The CME details like list and gist of topics discussed ( and photographs) shall be posted here shortly, as and when they are released by YMC Department of Radiology.

 

Secure Information and Community platform for Physicians on iPhone / Web

Doximity is a private network for verified physicians and medical professionals to connect, refer, and securely communicate on either the iPhone or Web.

 

The main focus of the app is physician communication and for this, it incorporates an innovative, secure SMS-like text service. Physicians can also build profiles, add their specialities and publications, “advertise” their timings and add all sort of information to let their colleagues search for niche services they may need to refer to.

Besides, the service boasts an extensive database of hospitals, pharmacies, labs, Rehab centers, etc and allows for filtering necessary services by location/timing. It can prove to be a valuable tool for routine everyday questions faced by medical practitioners.

Doximity is led by Jeff Tangney, the co-founder and former President & COO of Epocrates. The service promises permanently free basic functions with fee based premium services still in the pipeline.

You can download the free version here: `
https://www.doximity.com/download

 

Timing Your Biological Functions

via upload.wikimedia.org

Fastest Reaction Time: 3.30 pm

Greatest Muscle Strength: 5.00 pm

Evenings are a better time to work!!

 

Health Information Technology Use Among US Adults

via cdc.gov

Increasing numbers of consumers manage their own health care through Internet and other health information technology activities, including chat rooms and communications with health care providers.

From January through June 2009, almost 5% of adults aged 18-64 had communicated with a health care provider by e-mail in the past 12 months .

From January through June 2009, 51% of adults aged 18-64 had used the Internet to look up health information during the past 12 months.

 

Why Do Doctors Fear Social Media ?

via usatoday.com

No matter how you parse it, doctors don’t avoid the Internet and social media because they’re simply Luddites,” Westby Fisher, an Evanston, Ill., cardiac electrophysiologist, wrote last month on his blog, Dr. Wes. “They avoid the Internet because they enjoy the benefits of anonymity, privacy, efficiency and legal protection that come with dropping off the grid.”

Like Governments, physicians need to open up and become more accessible to adapt to current culture.Ivory towers are passe.

 

Top 10 Most Costly Medical Errors

The report listed the 10 most expensive types of errors in 2008, the number of errors, the cost per error, and the total cost. The first five make up 55% of the total error costs.

The list is as follows:

1. Pressure ulcers—374,964 errors, $10,288 per error and $3.858 billion total

2. Postoperative infections—252,695 errors, $14,548 per error, $3.676 billion total.

3. Mechanical complication of a device, implant or graft—60,380 errors, $18,771 per error, $1.133 billion total.

4. Postlaminectomy syndrome—113,823 errors, $9,863 per error, $1.123 billion total.

5. Hemorrhage complicating a procedure—78,216 errors, $12,272 per error, $960 million total.

6. Infection following infusion, injection, transfusion, vaccination—8,855 errors, $78,083 per error, $691 million total.

7. Pneumothorax—25,559 errors, $24,132 per error, $617 million total.

8. Infection due to central venous catheter—7,062 errors, $83,365 per error, $589 million total.

9. Other complicaitons of internal (biological) (synthetic) prosthetic device, implant and graft—26,783 errors, $17,233 per error and $462 million total.

10. Ventral hernia without mention of obstruction or gangrene—53,810 errors, $8,178 per error and $440 million total.

via healthleadersmedia.com

Post operative/ Post procedural infections seem way to high.Also, costs per error for this category is as high as 83,000 USD per error. And this error ought to be one potentially better-controllable error.

 

Medical Visualization on iPad

via youtube.com

Calgary Scientific is dedicated to providing advanced web-enablement, mobility enhancement and advanced visualization solutions to industries looking for secure access and use of their data or graphics intensive applications, while using their existing systems. Calgary Scientific has a powerful portfolio of products that perform sophisticated image post-processing, including tools for 2D, MIP/MPR and 3D, a suite of cardiac modules for both CT and MR, and vessel analysis.