Doctors urged to pause before they post, text, or e-mail [USA Today]
Doctors should not "friend" patients on Facebook, should text them with "extreme caution" and should use e-mail only with patients who understand the risks of lost privacy, says the latest set of guidelines to help doctors navigate the online world. The potential benefits of online contact between patients and providers are real… But the risks also are real and often underestimated...
Google searches help provide insight into season trends in mental illness [Science World Report]
Using all of Google's search data from 2006 to 2010, they studied searchers for terms including "schizophrenia" "attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)," "bulimia" and "bipolar" in both the United States and Australia. Both countries searchers for eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia, and separately, schizophrenia, surged during the winter months; those in the U.S. were 37 percent more likely and Australians were 42 percent more likely to seek information about these disorders during colder weather than during the summer.
How the e-patient community helped save my life: an essay by Dave deBronkart [BMJ]
… and as soon as my diagnosis was confirmed, my primary physician (Danny Sands) said, “You’re an online kind of guy, Dave—you might like to join this group.” Within two hours of posting my first message, I got facts and practical advice that to this day don’t exist in any journal article or establishment website. As a responsible engaged patient, I constantly check with my clinicians. Dr McDermott has verified that the information is accurate.
If symptoms persist, text your doctor [The Atlantic]
The average American writes a novel worth of email every year. They also read a novel's worth of trend stories about how all we do is text – how 15 million texts sent every minute are destroying the art of conversation, rotting our souls. Still, only about one in ten Americans has ever emailed or texted with their doctor…Confidentiality is one concern, and not every patient wants to text -- but a lot more than ten percent do.
Image sharing seeks to reduce repeat scans [WSJ]
When 5-year-old Piper Gibson was hospitalized in Oklahoma City last summer with frightening stroke-like symptoms, her father, Chris, got a same-day second opinion on her brain scan from another neurologist—in Boston. Mr. Gibson was able to get the second opinion with unusual efficiency by taking advantage of a secure electronic network that can transfer medical images in minutes. It is one of a growing number of image-exchange services that eliminate many of the hassles patients encounter in transferring CT-scans, MRIs, X-rays and ultrasounds whenever they seek a second opinion, consult a specialist or start seeing a new doctor.
NeedyMeds Alert: Medication management to simplify your life [NeedyMeds]
Spending too much money on your medications? Worried about missing a dose or forgetting to pick up your refills on time at your pharmacy? Download the NeedyMeds Alert app and be in complete control of your medications. Available in both iPhone and Android.
The tweet of the week:
BettrLife: 80% of time spent on mobile phones is spent in an app. #mhealth #mhealthzone
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