Blogs are new modalities of health communication.
The Internet is a powerful publishing tool. Blogs allow individuals from around the World to share their opinions, collaborate, and influence each others' lives. This is an exciting time as we advance further into the information age.
The term "blogs" is a shorten version of Weblog, which refers to a Web Log. Internet blogs were initially a fad, but then evolved into useful business and political tools. The term "blog" is used both as a noun and a verb. As a noun, a blog is known as an online journal or web diary. The weblog can be used as a content management system or an online publishing platform. As a verb, 'to blog' means to write on one's weblog.
Are blogs part of our healthcare system too? Recently, High Point Regional Health System launched a blogging site for their patients (http://www.highpointregional.com/blogs/). Patients share their experiences, both good and bad experiences. Patient blogs may help other patients who undergo similar surgeries or medical problems. Blogs will be a new rating system for hospitals and physicians, similar to the feedback system implemented on eBay profiles.
As a physician, I think blogs will help disseminate medical information in a timely fashion. This provides great power to individual physicians, and I think this power needs to be guarded and respected. The Internet allows the publishing of valid and wrong information. Traditionally, medical information is published in scientific journals reviewed by other physicians and scientists who are experts in their fields. The peer-reviewed process helps to weed out the junk and keep the valid medical information in journals. Academic medical institutions have a huge responsibility in the 21st Century. Blogs are likely going to stay and remain a widely used form of communication. Google understands the power of blogging, which explains their acquisition of Blogger.com. Blogger provides the software engine that drives this blog site.
Academic physicians have the responsibility to produce reliable content for patients, students, and doctors. As a blogger, physicians who provide valuable medical information will grow in popularity on the Internet. Readers will find this information as the Google crawler indexes each blog entry into its huge database of Internet search results. Patients can also provide comments and ask questions to prominent faculty members.
We invite physicians to blog. Our newest addition is James Folk, MD, who is a Full Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa (a top ranked ophthalmology department). He is a retina specialist and an established author. You may view his blogs on the recent developments and treatments in age related macular degeneration: http://www.medrounds.org/amd/
If you're a patient and would like to share your experiences and thoughts, then please contact us. MedRounds is the perfect place to blog because physicians use our services and are publishing their books with our company. Your blogs may help other patients and entice feedback from browsing physicians.
The term "blogs" is a shorten version of Weblog, which refers to a Web Log. Internet blogs were initially a fad, but then evolved into useful business and political tools. The term "blog" is used both as a noun and a verb. As a noun, a blog is known as an online journal or web diary. The weblog can be used as a content management system or an online publishing platform. As a verb, 'to blog' means to write on one's weblog.
Are blogs part of our healthcare system too? Recently, High Point Regional Health System launched a blogging site for their patients (http://www.highpointregional.com/blogs/). Patients share their experiences, both good and bad experiences. Patient blogs may help other patients who undergo similar surgeries or medical problems. Blogs will be a new rating system for hospitals and physicians, similar to the feedback system implemented on eBay profiles.
As a physician, I think blogs will help disseminate medical information in a timely fashion. This provides great power to individual physicians, and I think this power needs to be guarded and respected. The Internet allows the publishing of valid and wrong information. Traditionally, medical information is published in scientific journals reviewed by other physicians and scientists who are experts in their fields. The peer-reviewed process helps to weed out the junk and keep the valid medical information in journals. Academic medical institutions have a huge responsibility in the 21st Century. Blogs are likely going to stay and remain a widely used form of communication. Google understands the power of blogging, which explains their acquisition of Blogger.com. Blogger provides the software engine that drives this blog site.
Academic physicians have the responsibility to produce reliable content for patients, students, and doctors. As a blogger, physicians who provide valuable medical information will grow in popularity on the Internet. Readers will find this information as the Google crawler indexes each blog entry into its huge database of Internet search results. Patients can also provide comments and ask questions to prominent faculty members.
We invite physicians to blog. Our newest addition is James Folk, MD, who is a Full Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa (a top ranked ophthalmology department). He is a retina specialist and an established author. You may view his blogs on the recent developments and treatments in age related macular degeneration: http://www.medrounds.org/amd/
If you're a patient and would like to share your experiences and thoughts, then please contact us. MedRounds is the perfect place to blog because physicians use our services and are publishing their books with our company. Your blogs may help other patients and entice feedback from browsing physicians.
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