10 Tips for How to Use Web 2.0 in Medicine June 8, 2007
Posted by Bertalan Meskó in 10 tips, Bioinformatics, Blogging, Computer, Feed, Google, Grand Rounds, Health, Health 2.0, Invention, List, Medical education, Medicine, Medicine 2.0, Second Life, Video, Web 2.0, Wiki, Wikipedia, science.trackback
You know well how much I like to talk about the special relationship between web 2.0 and medicine. It’s true that Ves, Victor and Bob have already told you several times how important it is to know more about the tools of web 2.0 created for patients and physicians. But now I’d like to provide a hopefully useful list about how you can use these tools in medicine even if you’re a patient or a physician. Enjoy it!
1. Do you have a Second Life?
Second Life is a virtual world where you can establish your second life. If you’re a patient, then you should try it how it is like to lie in a CT scan or ask a virtual doctor about your problems at the Ann Myers Medical Center.
If you’re a physician, take part in constructing the future of medical education. Train medical students and nurses in the virtual medical center.
2. User-based sites
For patients: sites like Sugarstats.com or Traineo.com are created for users to make it easier to track one’s insulin intake or weight loss. These sites can give you the motivation and support to reach your goals regarding your health.
For physicians: check out Pimp Notes (an open-source notes project for medical students and doctors in training); OttoBib (make a bibliography easily) or Zoho (create presentations online).
3. Medical wikis
Web 2.0 based databases make it easier to track the changes of a medical specialty or you can even edit-write the articles yourself. If you’re a patient, use Wikipedia (start with Medicine Portal or Medicine Category).
If you’re a physician, browse among the great medical wikis created and maintained by physicians from around the world (you may start with Ask Dr Wiki).
4. Communities
Web 2.0 is based on communities and collaboration. If you’re a patient, find people dealing with the same health challenge at MDjunction.com. You can find online support groups, join health communities or just read about your medical problems described by others.
If you’re a physician, join one of the best medical communities at Tiromed.com. Ask a mentor or become a mentor. Upload your CV and find collaborators from around the world, or find a job via this community. Sermo.com is great as well.
5. Medical blogs
Medical blogs (web log or internet diary) provide content and express opinion on healthcare that you can never find in a medical paper. First, let’s surf among patients’ blogs:
And you should check out these medical blogs as well:
6. Blog Carnivals
If you don’t have time to run through all of these blogs and other sites, then blog carnivals are created for you! These carnivals collect the best posts on a subject from time to time.
- Grand rounds: the weekly blog carnival of the best of the medical blogosphere
- Mendel’s Garden: this carnival is devoted to genetics
- Gene Genie: a carnival on genes and gene-related diseases
- Many other medical blog carnivals
7. Medical Search Engines:
Search engines (like Google, Yahoo) don’t select among sources, that’s why many of the medical search results can’t be relevant. But medical search engines use peer-reviewed sources and sites selected by experts providing the most relevant and reliable medical information of the best quality:
8. Medical Podcasts and Videocasts:
Reading blogs is even easier and more comfortable with podcasts and videocasts. A podcast is a portable audio file (a videocast is a video file) that you can listen to while working, doing exercises or just sitting in a traffic jam.
Medical podcasts:
- ACC Conversations with Experts
- Journal of the American Medical Association
- New England Journal of Medicine
- Lancet
- John Hopkins Medicine
- iCritical Care Podcast
Videocasts:
You also have to know about web conferences. Read more about MedPresence at the Human Productivity Lab.
9. Medical content, content, content:
What I love the most in web 2.0? The free content! Let’s browse among the medical videos on VideoJug; the medical image collections of Flickr or find interesting cases at Clinicalcases.org.
10. Your Choice!
The 10th tip is your choice! We’re curious about how you use web 2.0 in medicine even if you’re a patient or a physician. So tell us!
You can read more about web 2.0 and medicine on Scienceroll.





























Wow, what an informative post, Bertalan! I’m coming to you for all my health/Web 2.0 needs
I’m using Zoho Sheets to share my Dad’s glucose levels with his physician. Glucose levels, mean and medians calculated for fasting and after-meal as well as overall levels, plus charts.
Contribute actively in community based forums such as Yelp. Log individual reveiews of physcians and practices that will allow other users access to peer insight.
The wisdom of the masses is always greater than that of the individual.
Wow, thank you, Dane for the comment! I didn’t know about Yelp’s physician reviews…
10 Tips for How to Use Web 2.0 in Medicine
You know well how much I like to talk about the special relationship between web 2.0 and medicine. It’s true that Ves, Victor and Bob have already told you several times how important it is to know more about the tools of web 2.0 created for patients…
[...] permettant d’assurer (théoriquement) la qualité des résultats. Bertalan Meskó en propose quelques uns en anglais sur son blog, comme Healthline, MedHunt, Mamma Health ou Omni Medical [...]
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[...] ScienceRoll: 10 Tips for How to Use Web 2.0 in Medicine - “Second Life is a virtual world where you can establish your second life. If you’re a patient, then you should try it how it is like to lie in a CT scan or ask a virtual doctor about your problems at the Ann Myers Medical Center.“ [...]
[...] Related: Bertalan Meskó - 10 Tips for How to Use Web 2.0 in Medicine [...]
great list Bertalan,
I am a beginner in medical blogosphere,
really nice to know this post
regards from Indonesian medical bloggers..
Thank you, Dani! If you have a question, drop me a line.
I’d also add this - rating veterinarians online at VetRatingz - http://www.vetratingz.com/index2.jsp
If you would like to read more about using technology in medical education, check out http://blogs.usask.ca/medical_education/
Great resource, thanks for the link!
I’m going to write about your site soon.
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[...] Jul 25th, 2007 by creaky15 http://scienceroll.com/2007/06/08/10-tips-for-how-to-use-web-20-in-medicine/ [...]
[...] 10 Tips for How to Use Web 2.0 in Medicine [...]
[...] spoken leert het ons dat onze Bevrijders een stukje verder zijn in het webloggen. Kwestie van 2.0 beheersen. Kwestie van maximaal gebruik maken van de breedband verbinding. Ja ja, dat internet gaat nog eens [...]
how about my site http://freemedicalfiles.com
Later, when you’ll have more resources, I’ll definitely write about it as it seems to be a good idea.
[...] 10 Tips for How to Use Web 2.0 in Medicine [...]
Just a little addition. It is brand new. I would like to test it for a while.
[...] 10 Tips for How to Use Web 2.0 in Medicine « ScienceRoll great rundown of 2.0 sites related to healthcare and medicine (tags: web2.0 medical blog community health2.0 healthcare physician patient) [...]
[...] altre risorse web 2.0, ecco una lista di link da scienceroll da tenere in [...]
Hello and thank you for this great post..I believe that you also should invclude this website for medical videos…
http://www.MedicalVideos.us
Samantha, I’ve already included it here: http://scienceroll.com/2007/08/29/sites-of-medicalscientific-videos-the-list/
[...] References:10 Tips for How to Use Web 2.0 in Medicine. ScienceRoll.com.Link via Medical Education Blog. [...]
[...] 10 Tips for How to Use Web 2.0 in Medicine. ScienceRoll.com, 2007. [...]
Great post. There is so much going on with web 2.0 and the possibilities truly are endless right now. It’s great to the those directly involved in the medical industry, such as doctors, nurses, etc sharing information. As a medical supply company, we’re also using web 2.0 as part of our efforts to gain trust in a huge industry. Thanks.
Great post. There is so much going on with web 2.0 and the possibilities truly are endless right now. It’s great to the those directly involved in the medical industry, such as doctors, nurses, etc sharing information. As a medical supply company, we’re also using web 2.0 as part of our efforts to gain trust in a huge industry. Thanks.
You have a unique service, Ian! Keep up the great work!
[...] 10 Tips for How to Use Web 2.0 in Medicine [...]
One of the best examples of Web 2.0 uses.
The Doctor’s Channel
http://www.thedoctorschannel.com
[...] 10 Tips for How to Use Web 2.0 in Medicine [...]