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Sunday, June 26, 2005
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
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.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
The Crisis in Academic Publishing and Research
During my 16 years of higher academic training, I discovered that academic institutions are in financial trouble. Perhaps this is why tuition rates for colleges and universities are climbing at an alarming rate. It costs over $200,000 to send a child to a private college. Medical school costs can easily exceed that amount.
Many of my PhD and MD-PhD colleagues are not pursuing academics and research. Why? There is a process in academia where one must write grants and beg for money from the National Institutes of Health. Less than 10% of these individuals applying for grants will receive funding. Even after receiving funding, a grant renewal occurs about every five years. If the funding is later rejected, the professor may lose his or her lab. I’ve seen this happen again and again. What happened to the ‘promise land’ and ‘payout’?
For the MD-PhDs with medical backgrounds, they can bail and go into private practice. However, I’ve met with individuals in congress during the last two years, and I’ve learned that Medicare is broke. Physicians are destined to receive a 5.5% pay CUT every year for the next five years. The starting salaries for physicians are already dropping to the $60,000-$80,000/year range. How many of you would be willing to work in a field where you must take a 5.5% pay cut yearly when inflation is climbing at about 4% yearly?
The fleecing of academia does not stop here. I learned that one of my professors receives less than 5% royalties for his book. The publisher sells his $100 book and gives the author $5. Researchers give their research papers away to publishers and journals for FREE, only to have their research inaccessible by the public who paid for the research in the first place. How lucrative is the medical publishing industry? One of the largest medical publishers is a $10 billion entity with over $900 million dollars in profits yearly. It is sickening for me to realize how corporations have taken advantage of academics who have dedicated their lives to teaching the World’s youth.
My vision and corporate mission is to level this playing field. My company has a strategy to become the publisher, distributor, retailer, and advocate for academic authors. While this is a daunting task, the mission is good. I describe it as “freeing the slaves.” I want to siphon profits from academic publishing back into research and funding academic endeavors.
Related Links
Overcoming the Crisis in Academic Publishing by Andrew Cooper (Associate Editor, The Book & The Computer)
A letter to Modern Language Association (MLA) members by Stephen Greenblatt, President
Many of my PhD and MD-PhD colleagues are not pursuing academics and research. Why? There is a process in academia where one must write grants and beg for money from the National Institutes of Health. Less than 10% of these individuals applying for grants will receive funding. Even after receiving funding, a grant renewal occurs about every five years. If the funding is later rejected, the professor may lose his or her lab. I’ve seen this happen again and again. What happened to the ‘promise land’ and ‘payout’?
For the MD-PhDs with medical backgrounds, they can bail and go into private practice. However, I’ve met with individuals in congress during the last two years, and I’ve learned that Medicare is broke. Physicians are destined to receive a 5.5% pay CUT every year for the next five years. The starting salaries for physicians are already dropping to the $60,000-$80,000/year range. How many of you would be willing to work in a field where you must take a 5.5% pay cut yearly when inflation is climbing at about 4% yearly?
The fleecing of academia does not stop here. I learned that one of my professors receives less than 5% royalties for his book. The publisher sells his $100 book and gives the author $5. Researchers give their research papers away to publishers and journals for FREE, only to have their research inaccessible by the public who paid for the research in the first place. How lucrative is the medical publishing industry? One of the largest medical publishers is a $10 billion entity with over $900 million dollars in profits yearly. It is sickening for me to realize how corporations have taken advantage of academics who have dedicated their lives to teaching the World’s youth.
My vision and corporate mission is to level this playing field. My company has a strategy to become the publisher, distributor, retailer, and advocate for academic authors. While this is a daunting task, the mission is good. I describe it as “freeing the slaves.” I want to siphon profits from academic publishing back into research and funding academic endeavors.
Related Links
Overcoming the Crisis in Academic Publishing by Andrew Cooper (Associate Editor, The Book & The Computer)
A letter to Modern Language Association (MLA) members by Stephen Greenblatt, President
