RT @mc_hankins: "Twitter users are already extensively sharing their experiences of toothache" <-It's not just about breakfast http:/ ... The microblogging service Twitter is a new means for the public to communicate health concerns and could afford health care professionals new ways to communicate with patients. With the growing ubiquity of user-generated online content via social networking Web sites such as Twitter, it is clear we are experiencing a revolution in communication and information sharing. In a study titled "Public Health Surveillance of Dental Pain via Twitter," published in the Journal of Dental Research -- the official publication of the International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR), researchers demonstrated that Twitter users are already extensively sharing their experiences of toothache and seeking advice from other users. The researchers investigated the content of Twitter posts meeting search criteria relating to dental pain. After excluding ambiguous tweets, spam and repeat users, 772 tweets were analyzed and frequencies calculated.
Going viral: Using social media to publicise academic research | Higher Education Network | Guardian Professional A research team led by Paul Crowther at the University of Sheffield discovered the most massive stars ever found, using the European Southern Observatory's very large telescope. Photograph: ESO/P Crowther/CJ Evans Only a tiny fraction of the research done in universities gets covered by newspapers. Take the story about, Alex Baker and Chris Rose, two PhD students that sent a helium balloon up to the edge of space, with two cameras in an insulated box suspended below. What's most remarkable about this story was how I came across it – one of their fellow students posted it on Twitter, and I happened to come across the tweet as it mentioned @sheffielduni. Once I'd got the extra details from the students and chosen the pictures, the release needed to be written. Over the next week, it was featured on the BBC and Channel 4 news websites, various local papers and radio stations, Coverage for a story tends to generate interest from other media, so the news release was only the springboard.
RT @SeattleMamaDoc: "We treat patients, we do not treat MRI findings" @hjluks take on NYT article on MRI overuse in athletes ... I have utilized this blog on multiple occasions to discuss the issue of overuse and over-utilization of technology in healthcare. In a very broad sense this has tremendous implications not only with regards to the obvious cost involved— but over-utilization and overuse will foster further overuse and over-utilization because an *abnormal* finding will frequently lead to further testing and perhaps even unnecessary surgical intervention or invasive testing. I have discussed these issues, both here, here and here. This very important article which came out of the New York Times yesterday, and was pointed out to me by my friend Wendy Swanson discusses the overutilization and overuse of MRI scans in the athletic population. What Dr. Now is not a far reach to see how this affects you and the general population at large. Please do not approach your physician with the thought that an MRI is necessary in all situations where your knee, your elbow, or your shoulder bother you.
Using social media tools for research | biggerbrains.com Prof. Adrian David Cheok is a Full Professor at Keio University, Graduate School of Media Design. He has been working on research covering mixed reality, human-computer interfaces, wearable computers and ubiquitous computing, fuzzy systems, embedded systems, power electronics. He has successfully obtained approximately $20 million dollars in funding for externally funded projects in the area of wearable computers and mixed reality from Media Development Authority, Nike, National Oilwell Varco, Defense Science Technology Agency, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Communications and Arts, National Arts Council, Singapore Science Center, and Hougang Primary School. Biggerbrains had an opportunity to speak to Prof.
@HealthIsSocial thanks for adding me to this meaningless list;) Social Media for Research: Open Resource and Reflection for #MASocialMedia | Jennifer M Jones I would like to share the session that I had prepared for a guest workshop that I was to deliver to this year’s MA in Social Media. Something, judging on last year’s session – and the 6 other sessions that I’ve delivered over the last 3-4 weeks, I was looking forward to trying out and exploring using social media as a research context. As it never got past the initial discussion “what is research?” I can safely say that it didn’t work well for this particular cohort’s expectations. What I can do, instead, is offer up the entire workshop as a resource and hope that perhaps others might find it more useful. Social Media for Research: Workshop Plan Level: Masters/PhD Overview Explore social media’s role when compiling a research methodology from an academic and commercial perspective. Materials ProjectorWhiteboard paper and pens (if available) Procedures Slides: For me, I’m always quite embedded in my research, where I’m not only a participant, I also take an active role in steering the results.
RT @doctorblogs: Rethink Healthcare Labor: 1)less workers, 2)lower wages, 3)increase productivity? @bobkocher in @NEJM Of the $2.6 trillion spent in 2010 on health care in the United States, 56% consisted of wages for health care workers. Labor is by far the largest category of expense: health care, as it is designed and delivered today, is very labor-intensive. The 16.4 million U.S. health care employees represented 11.8% of the total employed labor force in 2010. Yet unlike virtually all other sectors of the U.S. economy, health care has experienced no gains over the past 20 years in labor productivity, defined as output per worker (in health care, the “output” is the volume of activity — including all encounters, tests, treatments, and surgeries — per unit of cost). Standing in the way, however, is the inherent conflict between the federal goals of slowing that rate of cost growth and creating jobs in the health care system. Increasing labor productivity has been the key feature distinguishing the U.S. economy from other developed economies.
Phil Hammond: the reforms remain more question than answer 27 October, 2011 | By Phil Hammond Fresh from his appearance on BBC1 two weeks ago, Dr Phil Hammond argues that the benefit of NHS reform is still no clearer to being understood, and that a change in direction is needed. It might just win over Andrew Lansley’s critics, too. BBC1’s Question Time is not the place for nuanced debate. The producers encourage you to be adversarial, to make three “broad brush” points in under a minute and assume that those watching have no knowledge of the issues in depth. They also wind up the studio audience, telling them it is their show, and they even do a dry run show with volunteers on the panel so everyone can practise booing and interjection. My debut appearance was billed as Private Eye’s medical correspondent up against the health secretary. Alas I found it impossible to debate with Andrew Lansley without getting angry. NHS reforms are like overhyped wonder drugs. Humanity, integration, transparency. www.drphilhammond.com
Social Network Technologies for Learning [All Presentations] Social Network Technologies for Learning October 27, 2011 Keynote presentation delivered to Instituto Cervantes, Providence, Rhode Island. Social network technologies are reforming the way we communicate with each other inside and outside our learning environments. In this presentation, Stephen Downes offers an inside look at these technologies, how they work, what they can do, and where they will likely lead the future of learning online. Downes will first outline some well-known technologies such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, describing how they are used and outlining how they manage online communication in general. [Slides] [Audio] [Conference Link]
Adventures in Depression Some people have a legitimate reason to feel depressed, but not me. I just woke up one day feeling sad and helpless for absolutely no reason. It's disappointing to feel sad for no reason. Sadness can be almost pleasantly indulgent when you have a way to justify it - you can listen to sad music and imagine yourself as the protagonist in a dramatic movie. You can gaze out the window while you're crying and think "This is so sad. I can't even believe how sad this whole situation is. But my sadness didn't have a purpose. Essentially, I was being robbed of my right to feel self pity, which is the only redeeming part of sadness. And for a little bit, that was a good enough reason to pity myself. Standing around feeling sorry for myself was momentarily exhilarating, but I grew tired of it quickly. I tried to force myself to not be sad. When I couldn't will myself to not be sad, I became frustrated and angry. Which made me more sad. Which then made me more frustrated and abusive. I felt invincible.