Are physicians resistant to new technologies?
On June 18th, Christian Mayaud (Entrepreneur & Physician) writes this blog:
MYTH: Physicians are Resistant to New Technologies
REALITY: Marketing 101: NEVER EVER Blame the Customer for not Buying Your Product!!!
I am a physician and have always embraced technology, but I am from a younger generation that grew up with the Commodore 64, Atari, Apple, iPod, and Palm Pilot . I was at a recent meeting in D.C. at the American Academy of Ophthalmology where I learned that:
1) Senior physicians were designing their own electronic medical record systems;
2) Senior physicians demonstrated to me the utility of Blackberry technology;
3) Senior physicians will embrace technology if younger physicians take the time to show them the benefits.
During residency, I utilized compact digital cameras to change the way rounds presentations were delivered. When my senior residents were drawing what they saw on call, I was showing my department the photos instead: Digital photography
I then created a website allowing physicians to share case reports online: EyeRounds.org
To my surprise, the number one contributor to the online atlas is an 82 year old retired ophthalmologist from NY! His contributions are awesome. This man is 82 y.o. and is using the Internet to share his knowledge.
Although my ophthalmology department has not been open minded to new technologies, I am finding that with my help and guidance, people are now understanding the utility of Internet publishing, digital photography, and electronic textbooks.
I've also worked with the American Academy of Ophthalmology to create eyeOrbit.org. eyeOrbit.org allows sharing of information and indexing of case reports. I am encouraging Universities to publish their case reports in a public medium so that everyone has access. Google and sites like eyeOrbit.org can be our card catalog in the 21st Century. The Internet is allowing individualization of content delivery in an extremely powerful format.
People can read, see, hear, and learn what they want, and when they want.
Dr. Mayaud is absolutely correct that we SHOULD NEVER BLAME our customers for not buying our products. We must make our products irresistible so that our customers DESIRE our products.
Content delivery has evolved from: word of mouth, to books, to newspapers, to radio, to television, to cable TV, and now to the Internet. Similar to music and movies, educational materials will be available on an à la carte menu. Learners will be able to download eBooks and Videos on demand. It is our responsibility at MedRounds Publications to learn what our customers need and deliver content that is attractive to them.
Paper textbooks look impressive on shelves, but their utility is limited. Textbooks are merely databases bound by two covers. Textbooks are heavy and are tedious to search. With paper textbooks, it is not practical to carry a dozen or even a single reference during hospital rounds. In contrast, I can store and access thousands of eBooks in the palm of my hand. eBooks bring more value to physicians who need information in a timely manner. Thus, I am not surprised when I see medical students using their handheld computer devices to access references during their clinical rotations.
MYTH: Physicians are Resistant to New Technologies
REALITY: Marketing 101: NEVER EVER Blame the Customer for not Buying Your Product!!!
I am a physician and have always embraced technology, but I am from a younger generation that grew up with the Commodore 64, Atari, Apple, iPod, and Palm Pilot . I was at a recent meeting in D.C. at the American Academy of Ophthalmology where I learned that:
1) Senior physicians were designing their own electronic medical record systems;
2) Senior physicians demonstrated to me the utility of Blackberry technology;
3) Senior physicians will embrace technology if younger physicians take the time to show them the benefits.
During residency, I utilized compact digital cameras to change the way rounds presentations were delivered. When my senior residents were drawing what they saw on call, I was showing my department the photos instead: Digital photography
I then created a website allowing physicians to share case reports online: EyeRounds.org
To my surprise, the number one contributor to the online atlas is an 82 year old retired ophthalmologist from NY! His contributions are awesome. This man is 82 y.o. and is using the Internet to share his knowledge.
Although my ophthalmology department has not been open minded to new technologies, I am finding that with my help and guidance, people are now understanding the utility of Internet publishing, digital photography, and electronic textbooks.
I've also worked with the American Academy of Ophthalmology to create eyeOrbit.org. eyeOrbit.org allows sharing of information and indexing of case reports. I am encouraging Universities to publish their case reports in a public medium so that everyone has access. Google and sites like eyeOrbit.org can be our card catalog in the 21st Century. The Internet is allowing individualization of content delivery in an extremely powerful format.
People can read, see, hear, and learn what they want, and when they want.
Dr. Mayaud is absolutely correct that we SHOULD NEVER BLAME our customers for not buying our products. We must make our products irresistible so that our customers DESIRE our products.
Content delivery has evolved from: word of mouth, to books, to newspapers, to radio, to television, to cable TV, and now to the Internet. Similar to music and movies, educational materials will be available on an à la carte menu. Learners will be able to download eBooks and Videos on demand. It is our responsibility at MedRounds Publications to learn what our customers need and deliver content that is attractive to them.
Paper textbooks look impressive on shelves, but their utility is limited. Textbooks are merely databases bound by two covers. Textbooks are heavy and are tedious to search. With paper textbooks, it is not practical to carry a dozen or even a single reference during hospital rounds. In contrast, I can store and access thousands of eBooks in the palm of my hand. eBooks bring more value to physicians who need information in a timely manner. Thus, I am not surprised when I see medical students using their handheld computer devices to access references during their clinical rotations.
1 Comments:
Publishing is undergoing another transformation, the last one was from paper to digital, and now the digital transformation is becoming audio and visual with portable players such as iPods, mp3 and small video players. Podcasts are replacing audiodigest, and soon webcasts will be downloadable to be stored on high density 3 d dvds capable of enormous data storage.
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