Doctors making greater use of social media A new study shows doctors are increasingly frequenting various social media venues. But while some are viewing this as a generally positive development, it’s not necessarily clear that the recent trend will continue. The study (PDF), jointly conducted by QuantiaMD, Frost & Sullivan and the Institute for Health Technology Transformation, “found that over 65% of physicians use some form of social media for professional purposes.” The report’s writers note that their “definition of ‘social media’ includes not only social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, but also professional and patient networking communities specific to the medical field, blogs and sites such as YouTube.” When considering the implications of the report, it might be best to divide the findings into two categories, one consisting of doctor-to-doctor communication opportunities, and the other including a range of venues that have at least the potential to incorporate doctor-to-patient communications.
Investment in Digital Health Triples Over Past Year It's not just mobile health (mHealth) that is growing fast. The overall digital health sector - which includes mHealth, B2B apps and consumer services such as ZocDoc - is also rapidly expanding. That's if venture capital funding is anything to go by. A report by financial services company Burrill & Company states that private financings in digital health more than tripled in the first half of 2012. This follows a June report from nonprofit foundation Rock Health that showed "skyrocketing" VC funding in the sector. According to Burrill & Company, digital health investments "grew to $499 million in 46 transactions during the first half of the year, compared to just $156 million in 19 transactions for the same period in 2011." The 2012 figure was boosted by four significant funding deals. Rock Health included more companies in its digital health index, leading to a larger figure of $675 million in digital health funding over the first half of 2012. Physician ToolsSensorsHome HealthData
SharePractice, Social medical reference for clinicians Index of Population Health Models Index of Conceptual Models of Population Health A Biological model of stress reactivity Biological models: notes on the immune system Biological models: notes on the limbic system Biological models: notes on the endocrine system Biological models: notes on genetic factors Biological pathways between brain, HPA and immune system (Marmot's model) Cardiovascular disease model (illustration of a complex web) Cardiovascular disease (Marmot's model) Cartesian approach to science CIAR model Definitions of terms Other Disciplines or Theories relevant to population health Ecology and population health; Deep ecology Globalization and health: Huynen model Glouberman's discussion of policy models Lawrence Green's Precede-Proceed framework (animated Powerpoint slide: press 'page down' key to make it work) Idiographic & nomothetic approaches Inequalities in health (Hertzman - Frank model) Impact of medical interventions International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) model Karasek models of job control
How social media and big data will unleash what we know With this development -- as the world continues to become more and more social -- competitive advantage will come to those who understand what's happening better than their peers and can directly connect it to their business outcomes and other useful pursuits. Social networks and enterprise social software has long been driven by two things: The connections between the people that use them and the information they share. Just as Facebook uses the insights gleaned through its analytics on how people behave to enable personalization and better user experiences, the same phenomenon has been happening on the Enterprise 2.0 side, most recently exemplified by last month's acquisition of Proximal Labs by Jive Software. While gleaning insight and contextualizing interaction in social environments is nothing new, the challenge in doing so has been pushing the boundaries of available technology for some years now. Related: How an accidental IT future is becoming reality.
FDA approves edible electronic pills that sense medication intake When you hear the term electronic pills, you might be imagining some sort of hardwired chips that you’re supposed to unwillingly ingest. This isn’t quite the case. The U.S. Proteus Digital Health, Inc. has developed a tiny, digestible sensor that aims to transmit data to an online app to help improve a patient’s health habits and patterns. The technology makes sense considering many people often forget to take their pills, especially if some are required to be taken at a certain time of day. “This device could be a solution to that problem, so that doctors can know when to rev up a patient’s medication adherence,” said Dr. For those who are avert to the idea of eating microchips, you might be happy to know the sensors are made of silicon, magnesium, and copper so once the pill has been consumed and broken down, you actually earn a bit of minerals in your body. “The FDA validation represents a major milestone in digital medicine,” said Topol. Editors' Recommendations
Health Design Challenge: d+collab // THE PATIENT RECORD We challenged designers across the country to reimagine the patient health record. Over 230 responded and inspired us with their submissions. See the Showcase Get the Framework What It Looks Like Today Blue Button was developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs and gave Veterans and their families access to their health records. It looks and feels like a receipt. Design Objectives Improve the visual layout and style of the information from the medical record Create a human-centered design that makes it easier for patient to manage their health Enable health professionals to more effectively understand and use patients' health information Help family members and friends care for their loved ones Winners and Showcase Nightingale (Chicago, IL) Best Overall Design - 1st Place Amy Guterman, Stephen Menton, Defne Civelekoglu, Kunal Bhat, Amy Seng, and Justin Rheinfrank from gravitytank Studio TACK (Brooklyn, NY) Best Overall Design - 2nd Place William Brian Smith and Leigh Salem from Studio TACK M.
Disease Management Care Blog The Doctor is Social By Jane Sarasohn-Kahn Doctors and hospitals are going social, adopting social media for professional and clinical use, based on surveys conducted in mid-2011 by QuantiaMD and Frost & Sullivan and the Institute for Health Technology Transformation (iHT2). In Doctors, Patients & Social Media, dated September 2011, QuantiaMD and the Care Continuum Alliance report a high level of physician engagement with online networks and social media. Two-thirds of physicians are using social media for professional purposes, and see potential in the use of these channels to facilitate patient-physician communication. The survey found a cadre of “Connected Clinicians” who use multiple media sites to positively impact patient care. Only 1 in 10 physicians is familiar with one or more online patient communities, as the first chart illustrates. QuantiaMD studied 4,033 clinicians in August 2011. The report, Social Media Use in U.S.
Asimo technology helps build Honda's Stride Management Assist device Asimo. The humanoid robot that walks, runs, stands on one leg and even walks up and down stairs (though not always). The purpose of Honda’s creation, which was first unveiled to the public back in 2000, is to inspire youngsters to get involved in math and science, as well as to utilize its technology to assist people in real-world environments. It appears its efforts are paying off, with the Japanese company this week announcing plans to test out the latest version of its Stride Management Assist device (SMAd), a lightweight, comfortable-looking piece of kit designed to help those with reduced walking ability. Weighing just 2.4 kg (5.2 lb) and consisting of a small contraption that fits around the wearer’s waist with two braces that attach to their thighs, the SMAd certainly looks like a convenient solution for those in need of walking assistance. The device operates using a motor powered by a Lithium-ion battery. SMAd is being tested out in the field in August.