Workshop in Communicating Science Using Newer Technology   Lawrence Sherman, FACME, CCMEP Stony Brook University  November 6, 2010
Who Am I And Why Am I Here? 16+ years in medical education Ahead of the curve using new media and technologies Use new and old media in my teaching and lecturing
Overview Nature of the practice of medicine Social media tools and technologies Use of SoMe in medicine and public health Speculations on future directions
There Are Many Audiences to Consider
There Are Many Audiences to Consider
There Are Many Audiences to Consider
Workshop Mode: Interactivity! Did you come here today with a specific question or opportunity? What can I tell you today? What do you hope to get out of this session? What has been your experience using new technologies? Professionally Personally
When Considering New Technologies Remember, professional and personal often merge New technologies are fast, sometimes accurate, and very accessible The evening news on TV usually lags Remember 2.0 – people interact Whether they want to or not You select your level of participation Make sure that you use them correctly!
When I Say Social Networks What do you think of?
Most People Say Facebook LinkedIn Twitter MySpace Sermo* *Physicians regard Sermo highly as a Social Networking platform
My Thoughts: Facebook – about people you used to know (but changing) Many untapped uses in healthcare Twitter – about people you want to know better Microblogging is an art LinkedIn – about people you want to work with Best professional resource
But…SoMe Can Be Overwhelming!
What About Web 2.0 in Healthcare Communications? Web 2.0 is a term describing new collaborative Internet applications Primary difference from the original World Wide Web is greater  User participation in developing and managing content, which changes the nature and value of the information Increasing role in providing health information "any time, any place" McLean, R., Richards, B. H., & Wardman, J. I. (2007). The effect of Web 2.0 on the future of medical practice and education: Darwikinian evolution or folksonomic revolution?  Medical Journal of Australia, 187(3), 174-177.
Web 2.0 Tools Blogs – own content; to describe new trends  Wiki – participatory content; to share knowledge Google, Gmail, maps, Ajax  Enriching the user experience MySpace – social networking Flickr, del.icio.us – photo sharing,tagging Youtube – video, tagging, social network Really Simple Syndication (RSS) – rapidly disseminate awareness of new information  Podcasts – make information available "on the move" McLean, R., Richards, B. H., & Wardman, J. I. (2007). The effect of Web 2.0 on the future of medical practice and education: Darwikinian evolution or folksonomic revolution?  Medical Journal of Australia, 187(3), 174-177.
Don’t Forget the Patients! ePatient phenomenon Society for Participatory Medicine Involvement in care  Qualify information Appropriate resources The new generation of patients and providers!
The Leader
Workshop Mode: Communicating With The Public* What resources are available? What have you done? What would you like to do? What are best practices *It is imperative to consider the physician as consumer as well
Media and Web 2.0 in Public Health and Healthcare Communications
You Can Definitely Find What You Are Looking For!
You Can Definitely Find What You Are Looking For!
Mass. State Dept of Health Blog
CDC on YouTube
Use of CDC YouTube Site During H1N1 Pandemic CDC had less than  1,000  Twitter followers in March.  They now have over  500,000 CDC had <1,000 Twitter followers in March 2009—now they have >1,000,000 for @CDCEmergency CDC’s H1N1 video has over  2,100,000 views! &quot;Web-based mapping, search-term surveillance, &quot;microblogging,&quot; and online social networks have emerged as alternative forms of rapid dissemination of information.&quot;  New England Journal of Medicine on May 7, 2009
Use of CDC YouTube Site During H1N1 Pandemic CDC had less than  1,000  Twitter followers in March.  They now have over  500,000 CDC had <1,000 Twitter followers in March 2009—now they have >1,000,000 for @CDCEmergency CDC’s H1N1 video has over  2,100,000 views! &quot;Web-based mapping, search-term surveillance, &quot;microblogging,&quot; and online social networks have emerged as alternative forms of rapid dissemination of information.&quot;  New England Journal of Medicine on May 7, 2009
Alabama Dept of Public Health on Facebook
Hospitals Are Using SoMe As of October 19, 2010 871 Hospitals total 421 YouTube Channels  679 Facebook pages  648 Twitter Accounts  417 LinkedIn Accounts 94 Blogs  2,259 Hospital Social Networking Sites http://ebennett.org/hsnl/#ixzz13rK4eQXx ,
Hospitals Are Using SoMe As of October 19, 2010 871 Hospitals total 421 YouTube Channels  679 Facebook pages  648 Twitter Accounts  417 LinkedIn Accounts 94 Blogs  2,259 Hospital Social Networking Sites http://ebennett.org/hsnl/#ixzz13rK4eQXx ,
Hospitals That You Know Are Using SoMe
Hospitals That You Know Are Using SoMe
Community Contributions: The Wiki
Medical Wikis AskDrWiki.com FluWikie.com Ganfyd.org Just The Facts PubDrug Wikisurgery.com Web 2.0 & medicine, Giustini – April 2007
Blog Discourse in Medicine Blogs stimulate discussion, self-directed learning &  reflective practice Useful educational tools Clinical Cases & Images, Ves Dimov, M.D. Kidney Notes blog, Joshua Schwimmer, M.D.  Over!My!Med!Body!,  Graham Walker,MD Medical librarian search blogs  To help find medical information,  rapidly Web 2.0 & medicine, Giustini – April 2007
Blog Discourse in Medicine Blogs stimulate discussion, self-directed learning &  reflective practice Useful educational tools Clinical Cases & Images, Ves Dimov, M.D. Kidney Notes blog, Joshua Schwimmer, M.D.  Over!My!Med!Body!,  Graham Walker,MD Medical librarian search blogs  To help find medical information,  rapidly Web 2.0 & medicine, Giustini – April 2007
Clinical Cases & Images blog Web 2.0 & medicine, Giustini – April 2007
Workshop Mode: Using Tech to Communicate With the Public Are there examples that you can think of where you have seen this occur? Are there places that you can envision technologies assisting in healthcare communication with the public?
Thank You! [email_address]
Adult Learning Principles for Physicians – Application? Achievement and competency Active engagement in a supportive learning process Management of their own learning experience Ability to utilize what is learned in practical setting Ability to interact with peers Immediate feedback regarding their performance Use of self-evaluation
Educational Effectiveness Adult Learning Principles Sources: AHRQ, Grimshaw et al, and many others Application-focused Knowledge-focused Active engagement Passive participation Personalized content Generalized content Multiple media methods One media method Multiple interventions One intervention Learner-centered Faculty-centered MORE  EFFECTIVE LESS  EFFECTIVE
Communications – Integrated Approach Standalone eCME can be more effective when integrated into an educational curriculum Permits evaluation of individual activities Comparisons can me made Multiple interventions can be measured Aggregate outcomes can be evaluated Addresses various learning style preferences
How Do You Measure Success Of Various Online Formats? Isn’t just about the delivery Use of 2.0 technologies for Needs assessments Interactive Credible Gaps identified? Multiple components Audience Generation Quantify those participating solely as a result of social network invitation Outcomes measurements Compare educational impact measurement with controls from outside network Post-activity dialog related to impact of education Faculty planning and training Sharing of data/information
Just the Tip of the Iceberg Satisfaction Surveys Evaluation of faculty / activity Content Delivery Practice Relevance Handouts and AV “ To what extent were you pleased with… ?”   “ How can we improve in the future ?” “ Other speakers / topics to suggest ?”
Going Below the Surface Self-Assessed Learning Surveys  To what extent was ___ learning objective met? To what extent are you more  [aware of, prepared to, confident about, proficient at]  ___? To what extent are you  [planning to, prepared to, committed to]  apply this learning in your practice? When / how will you measure the impact on your …  [practice or patients]
ACCME Accredited Providers: Trends in Total #  Activities  by Modality ACCME Report, 2006-2009
Facebook in Healthcare
Facebook in Healthcare
Twitter in Healthcare
Twitter in Healthcare
Twitter in Healthcare
LinkedIn in Healthcare
LinkedIn in Healthcare
LinkedIn in Healthcare
Another Medium
Talking Medicine How do physicians communicate? Formally Journal articles, print and e-books, conferences  Informally Conversation, ‘on the wards’, online, with residents Community of practice (Lave & Wenger) Web 2.0 & medicine, Giustini – April 2007
Doctors are  Social Web 2.0 creates conversations Tools, ‘ social-software’ Blogs, wikis, podcasts, video, RSS feeds  Socialization Conversation, ‘on the wards’, online, rounds with residents Knowledge begins with conversations* * Kenneth Megill.  Thinking for a living: the Coming Age of Knowledge Work . 2004 Web 2.0 & medicine, Giustini – April 2007
Maximizing Physician Participation Goes Beyond Just Attracting an Audience RIGHT CONTENT  New Science Updates to Guidelines Patient Education Engage physicians with education that will improve their competence and performance in practice  RIGHT CLINICIAN Degree Patient Population Practice Demographic RIGHT EDUCATION Channel Format Design
Today, A Confluence of Factors Are Complicating the Physician’s World PHYSICIAN Clinical Practice  Guidelines Patient Inquiries Technology Enablement Pay for Performance Quality Improvement Point-of-Care software Self-Assessment tools Guides treatment decisions based on evidence-based medicine Published by med associations, payors or gov’t Payment model  Rewards physicians for meeting certain performance measures of quality and safety Improve practice  performance Analyze records,  implement an intervention, report results for re-certification   DTC Growth  Health information online
60% of Physicians Interested in Social Networks Physicians participating in such online communities are more likely to:  Be primary care physicians Be female Own a PDA or Smartphone Go online during or between patient consultations Be slightly younger than the average physician Results are based on a Q1 2008 telephone and online survey of 1,832 practicing U.S. physicians conducted by Manhattan Research
References: Casebeer L, Bennett N, Kristofco R, Carillo A, Centor R.  Physician Internet medical information seeking and on-line continuing education use patterns. J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2002 Winter;22(1):33-42. Bennett NL, Casebeer LL, Kristofco RE, Strasser SM.  Physicians' Internet information-seeking behaviors. J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2004 Winter;24(1):31-8. Casebeer L,  Brown J, Roepke N, Grimes C, Henson B, Palmore R, Shanette Granstaff U, Salinas GD. Evidence based choices of physicians: a comparative analysis of physicians participating in Internet CME and non-participants. BMC Medical Education 2010, 10:42. Wutoh R, Boren SA, Balas EA: eLearning: a review of Internet-based continuing medical education. J Contin Educ Health Prof 2004, 24:20-30. Fordis M, King JE, Ballantyne CM, Jones PH, Schneider KH, Spann SJ, Greenberg SB, Greisinger AJ: Comparison of the instructional efficacy of Internet-based CME with live interactive CME workshops: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2005, 294:1043-1051. Casebeer L, Engler S, Bennett N, Irvine M, Sulkes D, DesLauriers M, Zhang S: A controlled trial of the effectiveness of internet continuing medical education .  BMC Med  2008, 6:37. Peabody JW, Liu A: A cross-national comparison of the quality of clinical care using vignettes .  Health Policy Plan  2007, 22:294-302. Peabody JW, Luck J, Glassman P, Jain S, Hansen J, Spell M, Lee M: Measuring the quality of physician practice by using clinical vignettes: a prospective validation study .  Ann Intern Med  2004, 141:771-780.

Using Newer Technologies in Medical Education and Healthcare Communications

  • 1.
    Workshop in CommunicatingScience Using Newer Technology Lawrence Sherman, FACME, CCMEP Stony Brook University November 6, 2010
  • 2.
    Who Am IAnd Why Am I Here? 16+ years in medical education Ahead of the curve using new media and technologies Use new and old media in my teaching and lecturing
  • 3.
    Overview Nature ofthe practice of medicine Social media tools and technologies Use of SoMe in medicine and public health Speculations on future directions
  • 4.
    There Are ManyAudiences to Consider
  • 5.
    There Are ManyAudiences to Consider
  • 6.
    There Are ManyAudiences to Consider
  • 7.
    Workshop Mode: Interactivity!Did you come here today with a specific question or opportunity? What can I tell you today? What do you hope to get out of this session? What has been your experience using new technologies? Professionally Personally
  • 8.
    When Considering NewTechnologies Remember, professional and personal often merge New technologies are fast, sometimes accurate, and very accessible The evening news on TV usually lags Remember 2.0 – people interact Whether they want to or not You select your level of participation Make sure that you use them correctly!
  • 9.
    When I SaySocial Networks What do you think of?
  • 10.
    Most People SayFacebook LinkedIn Twitter MySpace Sermo* *Physicians regard Sermo highly as a Social Networking platform
  • 11.
    My Thoughts: Facebook– about people you used to know (but changing) Many untapped uses in healthcare Twitter – about people you want to know better Microblogging is an art LinkedIn – about people you want to work with Best professional resource
  • 12.
    But…SoMe Can BeOverwhelming!
  • 13.
    What About Web2.0 in Healthcare Communications? Web 2.0 is a term describing new collaborative Internet applications Primary difference from the original World Wide Web is greater User participation in developing and managing content, which changes the nature and value of the information Increasing role in providing health information &quot;any time, any place&quot; McLean, R., Richards, B. H., & Wardman, J. I. (2007). The effect of Web 2.0 on the future of medical practice and education: Darwikinian evolution or folksonomic revolution? Medical Journal of Australia, 187(3), 174-177.
  • 14.
    Web 2.0 ToolsBlogs – own content; to describe new trends Wiki – participatory content; to share knowledge Google, Gmail, maps, Ajax Enriching the user experience MySpace – social networking Flickr, del.icio.us – photo sharing,tagging Youtube – video, tagging, social network Really Simple Syndication (RSS) – rapidly disseminate awareness of new information Podcasts – make information available &quot;on the move&quot; McLean, R., Richards, B. H., & Wardman, J. I. (2007). The effect of Web 2.0 on the future of medical practice and education: Darwikinian evolution or folksonomic revolution? Medical Journal of Australia, 187(3), 174-177.
  • 15.
    Don’t Forget thePatients! ePatient phenomenon Society for Participatory Medicine Involvement in care Qualify information Appropriate resources The new generation of patients and providers!
  • 16.
  • 17.
    Workshop Mode: CommunicatingWith The Public* What resources are available? What have you done? What would you like to do? What are best practices *It is imperative to consider the physician as consumer as well
  • 18.
    Media and Web2.0 in Public Health and Healthcare Communications
  • 19.
    You Can DefinitelyFind What You Are Looking For!
  • 20.
    You Can DefinitelyFind What You Are Looking For!
  • 21.
    Mass. State Deptof Health Blog
  • 22.
  • 23.
    Use of CDCYouTube Site During H1N1 Pandemic CDC had less than 1,000 Twitter followers in March. They now have over 500,000 CDC had <1,000 Twitter followers in March 2009—now they have >1,000,000 for @CDCEmergency CDC’s H1N1 video has over 2,100,000 views! &quot;Web-based mapping, search-term surveillance, &quot;microblogging,&quot; and online social networks have emerged as alternative forms of rapid dissemination of information.&quot; New England Journal of Medicine on May 7, 2009
  • 24.
    Use of CDCYouTube Site During H1N1 Pandemic CDC had less than 1,000 Twitter followers in March. They now have over 500,000 CDC had <1,000 Twitter followers in March 2009—now they have >1,000,000 for @CDCEmergency CDC’s H1N1 video has over 2,100,000 views! &quot;Web-based mapping, search-term surveillance, &quot;microblogging,&quot; and online social networks have emerged as alternative forms of rapid dissemination of information.&quot; New England Journal of Medicine on May 7, 2009
  • 25.
    Alabama Dept ofPublic Health on Facebook
  • 26.
    Hospitals Are UsingSoMe As of October 19, 2010 871 Hospitals total 421 YouTube Channels 679 Facebook pages 648 Twitter Accounts 417 LinkedIn Accounts 94 Blogs 2,259 Hospital Social Networking Sites http://ebennett.org/hsnl/#ixzz13rK4eQXx ,
  • 27.
    Hospitals Are UsingSoMe As of October 19, 2010 871 Hospitals total 421 YouTube Channels 679 Facebook pages 648 Twitter Accounts 417 LinkedIn Accounts 94 Blogs 2,259 Hospital Social Networking Sites http://ebennett.org/hsnl/#ixzz13rK4eQXx ,
  • 28.
    Hospitals That YouKnow Are Using SoMe
  • 29.
    Hospitals That YouKnow Are Using SoMe
  • 30.
  • 31.
    Medical Wikis AskDrWiki.comFluWikie.com Ganfyd.org Just The Facts PubDrug Wikisurgery.com Web 2.0 & medicine, Giustini – April 2007
  • 32.
    Blog Discourse inMedicine Blogs stimulate discussion, self-directed learning & reflective practice Useful educational tools Clinical Cases & Images, Ves Dimov, M.D. Kidney Notes blog, Joshua Schwimmer, M.D. Over!My!Med!Body!, Graham Walker,MD Medical librarian search blogs To help find medical information, rapidly Web 2.0 & medicine, Giustini – April 2007
  • 33.
    Blog Discourse inMedicine Blogs stimulate discussion, self-directed learning & reflective practice Useful educational tools Clinical Cases & Images, Ves Dimov, M.D. Kidney Notes blog, Joshua Schwimmer, M.D. Over!My!Med!Body!, Graham Walker,MD Medical librarian search blogs To help find medical information, rapidly Web 2.0 & medicine, Giustini – April 2007
  • 34.
    Clinical Cases &Images blog Web 2.0 & medicine, Giustini – April 2007
  • 35.
    Workshop Mode: UsingTech to Communicate With the Public Are there examples that you can think of where you have seen this occur? Are there places that you can envision technologies assisting in healthcare communication with the public?
  • 36.
  • 37.
    Adult Learning Principlesfor Physicians – Application? Achievement and competency Active engagement in a supportive learning process Management of their own learning experience Ability to utilize what is learned in practical setting Ability to interact with peers Immediate feedback regarding their performance Use of self-evaluation
  • 38.
    Educational Effectiveness AdultLearning Principles Sources: AHRQ, Grimshaw et al, and many others Application-focused Knowledge-focused Active engagement Passive participation Personalized content Generalized content Multiple media methods One media method Multiple interventions One intervention Learner-centered Faculty-centered MORE EFFECTIVE LESS EFFECTIVE
  • 39.
    Communications – IntegratedApproach Standalone eCME can be more effective when integrated into an educational curriculum Permits evaluation of individual activities Comparisons can me made Multiple interventions can be measured Aggregate outcomes can be evaluated Addresses various learning style preferences
  • 40.
    How Do YouMeasure Success Of Various Online Formats? Isn’t just about the delivery Use of 2.0 technologies for Needs assessments Interactive Credible Gaps identified? Multiple components Audience Generation Quantify those participating solely as a result of social network invitation Outcomes measurements Compare educational impact measurement with controls from outside network Post-activity dialog related to impact of education Faculty planning and training Sharing of data/information
  • 41.
    Just the Tipof the Iceberg Satisfaction Surveys Evaluation of faculty / activity Content Delivery Practice Relevance Handouts and AV “ To what extent were you pleased with… ?” “ How can we improve in the future ?” “ Other speakers / topics to suggest ?”
  • 42.
    Going Below theSurface Self-Assessed Learning Surveys To what extent was ___ learning objective met? To what extent are you more [aware of, prepared to, confident about, proficient at] ___? To what extent are you [planning to, prepared to, committed to] apply this learning in your practice? When / how will you measure the impact on your … [practice or patients]
  • 43.
    ACCME Accredited Providers:Trends in Total # Activities by Modality ACCME Report, 2006-2009
  • 44.
  • 45.
  • 46.
  • 47.
  • 48.
  • 49.
  • 50.
  • 51.
  • 52.
  • 53.
    Talking Medicine Howdo physicians communicate? Formally Journal articles, print and e-books, conferences Informally Conversation, ‘on the wards’, online, with residents Community of practice (Lave & Wenger) Web 2.0 & medicine, Giustini – April 2007
  • 54.
    Doctors are Social Web 2.0 creates conversations Tools, ‘ social-software’ Blogs, wikis, podcasts, video, RSS feeds Socialization Conversation, ‘on the wards’, online, rounds with residents Knowledge begins with conversations* * Kenneth Megill. Thinking for a living: the Coming Age of Knowledge Work . 2004 Web 2.0 & medicine, Giustini – April 2007
  • 55.
    Maximizing Physician ParticipationGoes Beyond Just Attracting an Audience RIGHT CONTENT New Science Updates to Guidelines Patient Education Engage physicians with education that will improve their competence and performance in practice RIGHT CLINICIAN Degree Patient Population Practice Demographic RIGHT EDUCATION Channel Format Design
  • 56.
    Today, A Confluenceof Factors Are Complicating the Physician’s World PHYSICIAN Clinical Practice Guidelines Patient Inquiries Technology Enablement Pay for Performance Quality Improvement Point-of-Care software Self-Assessment tools Guides treatment decisions based on evidence-based medicine Published by med associations, payors or gov’t Payment model Rewards physicians for meeting certain performance measures of quality and safety Improve practice performance Analyze records, implement an intervention, report results for re-certification DTC Growth Health information online
  • 57.
    60% of PhysiciansInterested in Social Networks Physicians participating in such online communities are more likely to: Be primary care physicians Be female Own a PDA or Smartphone Go online during or between patient consultations Be slightly younger than the average physician Results are based on a Q1 2008 telephone and online survey of 1,832 practicing U.S. physicians conducted by Manhattan Research
  • 58.
    References: Casebeer L,Bennett N, Kristofco R, Carillo A, Centor R. Physician Internet medical information seeking and on-line continuing education use patterns. J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2002 Winter;22(1):33-42. Bennett NL, Casebeer LL, Kristofco RE, Strasser SM. Physicians' Internet information-seeking behaviors. J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2004 Winter;24(1):31-8. Casebeer L, Brown J, Roepke N, Grimes C, Henson B, Palmore R, Shanette Granstaff U, Salinas GD. Evidence based choices of physicians: a comparative analysis of physicians participating in Internet CME and non-participants. BMC Medical Education 2010, 10:42. Wutoh R, Boren SA, Balas EA: eLearning: a review of Internet-based continuing medical education. J Contin Educ Health Prof 2004, 24:20-30. Fordis M, King JE, Ballantyne CM, Jones PH, Schneider KH, Spann SJ, Greenberg SB, Greisinger AJ: Comparison of the instructional efficacy of Internet-based CME with live interactive CME workshops: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2005, 294:1043-1051. Casebeer L, Engler S, Bennett N, Irvine M, Sulkes D, DesLauriers M, Zhang S: A controlled trial of the effectiveness of internet continuing medical education . BMC Med 2008, 6:37. Peabody JW, Liu A: A cross-national comparison of the quality of clinical care using vignettes . Health Policy Plan 2007, 22:294-302. Peabody JW, Luck J, Glassman P, Jain S, Hansen J, Spell M, Lee M: Measuring the quality of physician practice by using clinical vignettes: a prospective validation study . Ann Intern Med 2004, 141:771-780.

Editor's Notes

  • #32 There are a number of medical wikis in development, and here are a few good examples. i.e . AskDrWiki produced by the Cleveland Clinica is a good free source of x-rays, and other general medical information; FluWiki which is also physician developed is set up to help communities prepare for an outbreak of influenza; Ganfyd, a general medical wiki, stands for “get a note from your doctor” and is expert-moderated, which is to say that only phyisicians approved by the editor can contribute and edit entries; and PubDrug and wikisurgery are also worth looking at in some detail for the kinds of information they offer.
  • #33 So what is the social impact of web 2.0? Blogging for example is a stimulus for discussion, and to help physicians direct their knowledge management routines and current awareness. There are a number of useful educational blogs that I recommend to physicians: 1) Dr. Ves Dimov’s Clinical Cases and Images blog. There are other useful blogs by other physicians, such as KevinMd.com and a Stanford medical student’s blog called Over!my!med!body which provides a lot of insight into what med students are thinking and observing in their training. And of course librarians that are interested in searching are set up to help physicians find information, which is integral to doing their research.
  • #34 So what is the social impact of web 2.0? Blogging for example is a stimulus for discussion, and to help physicians direct their knowledge management routines and current awareness. There are a number of useful educational blogs that I recommend to physicians: 1) Dr. Ves Dimov’s Clinical Cases and Images blog. There are other useful blogs by other physicians, such as KevinMd.com and a Stanford medical student’s blog called Over!my!med!body which provides a lot of insight into what med students are thinking and observing in their training. And of course librarians that are interested in searching are set up to help physicians find information, which is integral to doing their research.
  • #35 Clinical cases and images blog, which was featured in the December 2006 BMJ.
  • #44 What these numbers demonstrate is that physicians are taking advantage of the tremendous opportunities CME activities provide for medical practitioners to keep up with new information affecting the delivery of medical care. While ongoing participation is required by most physician state licensing boards and the licensing boards for other types of healthcare providers, such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners, both groups have the freedom to choose what types of programs they attend and in what mediums.
  • #54 Let’s talk about how physicians communicate their ideas to each other to inform their practice of medicine. The production of knowledge in medicine is still dominated by traditional formats such as journal articles, print textbooks and e-books, and conferences like this one. Physicians also communicate informally in their daily work through conversations; meeting for coffee, talking about patient care, individual cases and teaching residents. This process of talking, having conversations, in a community of practice is critical for physicians. Making knowledge through conversations, sorting through ideas and research, is a process of understanding, being critical, and applying information in a meaningful context, what Lave and Wenger call a “community of practice”. doctors, in general, are constantly communicating with one another about medicine whether formally (journals, conferences, meetings, CME sessions, etc) or informally (on the floor, during breaks, online, at home, etc). Because of this, Web 2.0, which epitomizes constant communication, is a natural tool for doctors to use.
  • #55 Doctors are social, and the practice of medicine is inherently social. And this is where Web 2.0 offers some direct and immediate opportunities for physicians. Put simply, Web 2.0 creates conversations. The software or tools – such as blogs and wikis – facilitate socialization. To be a good doctor, you need to know a lot, and medical education does a terrific job of teaching those facts. But a doctor needs to be able to communicate, especially with patients, what we might call a good bedside manner. Beyond that, doctors need to have methods for lifelong learning, and a digital means to process information through conversations. A new axiom I am using these days is that all knowledge begins with conversations, from an excellent book written by a librarian called “Thinking for a living: the coming age of knowledge work”. I recommend it highly if you are interested in the idea of a knowledge based economy. “ Socialmedia is NOT a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.”
  • #58 Physicians are embracing social networks as well. In a study done last year, 60% of physicians were interested in participating in physician only social networks.