Surgeons not being the most social animals among doctors, I was surprised to see 7 editorials about surgery and social media. These seven editorials highlighted the use of social media and different settings for surgeons, from medical school all the way up to the American College of Surgeons. The most factual contribution was about the implications of social media such as twitter, blogging and facebook on the next generation of physicians. In this editorial a recent study was cited. They found a difference in the use of social media between residents and medical students. 13% of residents and 64% of medical .....read more »

Another useful health application developed with game engines. Relax in a beautiful virtual world when you can't go there. The real environment is to be preferred but not everyone is able to go there. Interesting research, not only a good idea but also proven effective after the research, hopefully. Reporter Daniel Cressey takes a trip to the University of Birmingham for a walk through a virtual world. By recreating the positive effects of spending time in natural environments, Bob Stone and his team hope to help those who can't get out and about by bringing these environments to them.Related posts: Strengths and .....read more »

From a structured review of websites of 1800 US hospitals focusing on their Facebook, Twitter and Youtube accounts: 21% used social media More likely to be large, urban hospitals run by nonprofit, nongovernment organisations More likely to participate in graduate medical education Used social media to target a general audience (97%) Provide content about the entire organization (93%) Announce news and events (91%) Further public relations (89%) Promote health (90%). In short, used social media for unidirectional communication. Thaker SI, Nowacki AS, Mehta NB, & Edwards AR (2011). How U.S. hospitals use social media. Annals of internal medicine, 154 (10), 707-8 PMID: 21576547Related posts: Social Media in Health and Medicine: Medlibs .....read more »

This time-lapse video was made for a video contest for residents. It's a look inside a busy time in the OR, showing all the people involved during different procedures. Fine example of why hygiene is such an important topic in hospitals. More videos in this contest here No related posts. ..read more »

In this video a certain Dr Oz gets dissed, if that's the right word. For all god reasons you can read them at ZDoggMD. A phenomenon not very popular were I live, fortunately. What do you think?Related posts: A Video Educating Parents About Vaccinations The Safe Sex Song in Hip Hop Postpartum Depression and Mass Media ..read more »

When Dave deBronkart learned he had a rare and terminal cancer, he turned to a group of fellow patients online -- and found a medical treatment that even his own doctors didn't know. It saved his life. Now he calls on all patients to talk with one another, know their own health data, and make health care better one e-Patient at a time. Dave deBronkart: Meet e-Patient DaveRelated posts: A doctor’s touch Taking the Pulse of the Healthcare Blogosphere Beta NEJM Site an Excellent Resource ..read more »

This is the title of a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The article is about a new recent trend that generic drugs don't look the same as brand-name medications. Although brand-name drugs and generic drugs are both approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and may be interchangeable with respect to their clinical effects, they can differ substantially in their appearance. The generic drugs can differ from brand name drugs in size, color, and shape, depending on which manufacturer is supplying the drugs. Although generic and brand name drugs have been compared many times for .....read more »

David Agus shows how when proscribing treatment, doctors and government guidelines need to view the body as a network and not a series of isolated nodes. Liked this video also because it used Vitamine D as an example for hio point. Look at networks in the human body instead of nodes. Related posts: Vitamine D for Depression in the Elderly? Google Body 3D Model ..read more »

According to recent research it's not the patient who should select it. Possibly because the patient will be afraid choosing a kind of music not agreeable to the physician. Overall, listening to music during cardiac catheterization significantly reduces anxiety as measured before and after the procedure with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Moreover, all patients who listened to music had a trend to lower values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate than control-group with no music. Women had higher anxiety scores before the procedure, the post operative score were similar in men and women. Women had a .....read more »

A hospital is always a dangerous place to be. Mostly because you came because something is wrong with you. In the discussions I have with my mother about working in a hospital I always warn her to stay out as long as possible. In The Netherlands with a good functioning primary care help and social security this is a lot easier than in other countries. Another topic of debate is who to ask for taking care of you in a University Hospital. I always let her promise not to ask for the professor. Ask for the resident instead, I'll tell .....read more »