Project Natal in Medical Simulations June 5, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Fun, Game, Medical education, Medicine, Medicine 2.0.4 comments
I’ve recently heard about Project Natal:
Introducing Project Natal, a revolutionary new way to play: no controller required. See a ball? Kick it, hit it, trap it or catch it. If you know how to move your hands, shake your hips or speak you and your friends can jump into the fun — the only experience needed is life experience.
Can you imagine the same system in medical simulations? I can. You set up a learning environment at your home, and simulate laparoscopic procedures.
Or you study a medical specialty and try to memorize the answers through using Quiz.md and your voice. Unlimited opportunities in interactive learning…
Google Wave in Science and Medicine June 5, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Google, Health, Health 2.0, Medicine, Medicine 2.0, Web 2.0.6 comments
I’m studying pediatrics day and night (last exam in medical school) so I don’t have enough time to take a deeper look at Google Wave, but here are the best posts and articles focusing on the medical and scientific implications of this new project.
- Google wave and implications for science
- Google Wave: The Possibilities for Patient-Centered Communication
Because waves are embeddable through Google’s API, the first logical implementation would be through a patient portal. The potential application of Google Wave as a central communication and collaboration tool for telemedicine practices is clear.
Google Health already has an API available for developers. Google Wave could bring real-time collaboration between physicians and patients to the Google Health platform. Imagine being able to easily insert comments into every line of information in your medical health records. Google Wave could make it much easier for physicians to upload information into Google Health, too. If nothing else, the new application looks to greatly improve the user experience for Google Health users, should developers, whether inside the Googleplex or one of those 4,900 external developers with new Google Wave accounts, take advantage of the opportunity to make Google Health more collaborative.
Blogging a Malpractice Trial June 2, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Blogging, Health, Health 2.0, Medicine, Medicine 2.0, Web 2.0.4 comments
You may remember the case of Dr. Flea. It is described on the Webicina How to write a quality medical blog e-course:
Dr. Flea was a famous and anonymous medical blogger who was a pediatrician in real life and got sued by a patient. Though, he kept on writing about the law suit, had ridiculed the plaintiff’s case and the plaintiff’s lawyer; and revealed the defense strategy. But the lawyer realized this blogger must be the doctor in the law suit. The next day, the case was settled.
After one year, Dr. Flea, now using his real name, Robert Lindeman, gave an interview to the New York Personal Injury Law Blog and had one piece of advice for new medical bloggers: do not blog anonymously!
Now Eric Turkewitz reported that a doctor is live-blogging his/her medical malpractice trial. The blog is the WhiteCoat’s Call Room and here is the first part of the trial. Today, the blogger published a disclaimer.
So to those worried that what I write will be used against me by some future plaintiff attorney, let them try. You’ll be reading about them in this blog in the future.
To those who think the HIPAA police will come and lead me away in handcuffs, file a complaint. Here’s the link. The information in this case has been de-identified, facts have been changed, and it is no longer subject to HIPAA laws.
Defamation? Truth is an absolute defense. What isn’t true hasn’t harmed anyone and my observations and opinions aren’t actionable.
Legal scholars want to debate whether it is “unethical” for me to talk about a malpractice trial? Go for it. The more discussion, the better. If this series is what it takes to bring the issues involved in medical blogging to the next level, I’ll be the fall guy. I won’t live my life in fear of what some evil attorney might sue me for.
After reading the disclaimer, I must admit the blogger is right.You can write about a malpractice trial, you can write about a patient’s medical case if you follow the rules of HIPAA.
Further reading:
Multimedia ABC: Video June 2, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Video, Web 2.0.1 comment so far
A new video describes social media and multimedia letter by letter.
Toxipedia: Collaborative Environmental and Public Health Resource Center June 1, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Collaboration, Medicine, Medicine 2.0, Web 2.0, Wiki.2 comments
I just came across Toxipedia and found an interesting press release about it:
The collaborative environmental and public health resource center Toxipedia has won the right to manage the National Library of Medicine’s World Library of Toxicology (WLT)!
The WLT is a repository of public health links from over 40 countries. In collaboration with the International Union of Toxicology, and with financial support from the National Library of Medicine, Toxipedia will manage the WLT, strengthen its content, increase the number of participating countries, and expand its focus to highlight issues of environmental and public health significance to these countries.
Second Life Participants: Unite! June 1, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Second Life, Virtuality, Web 2.0.1 comment so far
I’ve been involved in several Second Life projects in the last few years, and the only and biggest problems we had to face was the lack of participation. Now here is a huge project and the organizers are looking for participants. The organizers just published the best review ever of medical sites of Second Life. Please join! Details here.
FOCUS GROUP #1
We are recruiting parents in North America with children under the age of 18 to discuss their questions and concerns about childhood immunization.
FOCUS GROUP #2
We are recruiting North American natural/alternative health students, practitioners and professionals to understand their views on childhood immunization.
If you or anyone you know might be interested in participating, please contact me (Leslie Beard) at leslie.beard@utoronto.ca
Further reading:
- Top 10: Virtual Medical Sites in Second Life!
- How and Why to use Second Life for Education?
- Scientific Events in Second Life?
