"The online version is the official journal of record, not the print edition". Start a blog in 2012

"The online version is the official journal of record", wrote the Editor-in-Chief and the editorial staff of Pediatrics, the official journal of the the American Academy of Pediatrics:

"As we start 2012, and welcome the more than 6 million annual visitors to our journal's Web site, we remind our readers that the online version, not the shorter print edition, is the official journal of record. Is it time to do away with the print version? Probably not just yet, but it may not be long until we are heading in that direction.

If you are thinking, “there are so many options to peruse and so little time!” you will find some highlights of each issue in our blog - First Read - which contains previews of articles of interest selected by members of our executive editorial board. We are even running some of our most interesting “fillers” from the print journal in the blog so they are not missed by our online readers"

This is the URL of the blog which is hosted for free on Blogger.com by Google: http://pediatricsblog.blogspot.com

All physicians should consider starting a blog in 2012

I would encourage all physicians to start a blog in 2012 - here is why (quotes from an interview with Seth Godin and Tom Peters):

"Blogging is free. It doesn’t matter if anyone reads it. What matters is the humility that comes from writing it. What matters is the metacognition of thinking about what you’re going to say.

No single thing in the last 15 years professionally has been more important to my life than blogging. It has changed my life, it has changed my perspective, it has changed my intellectual outlook, it’s changed my emotional outlook. And it’s free."



Don't limit yourself to your blog - use Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus

Blogging can be great for personal growth but there is a lot more interaction on Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus nowadays as compared to blogs. If you have a blog, you must also have a Facebook "like" page (previously called "fan" page), a Twitter account, and probably a Google Plus page. These serve the dual purpose of distribution and commenting channels ("two-way street").

For example, Facebook pages get a lot more interaction than blogs for some medical journals - you can compare the number of comments on the NEJM Facebook updates (the range is 9-180) vs. their blog (0). The blog has comments enabled, of course.

Facebook is the clear "winner" in terms of commenting activity, it is not even close:

NEJM Facebook page vs. NEJM blog

This is a suggested simple project for all doctors in 2012:

1. Start on Twitter (microblog).
2. Continue on Blogger/WordPress.
3. Make an impact. Improve the quality of online health information and tell the public your side of the story.

How to Create a Blog on Blogger in 5 minutes (Google video):



Help your patients and your practice

I developed the concept of Two Interlocking Cycles:

- Cycle of Patient Education
- Cycle of Online Information and Physician Education

The two cycles work together as two interlocking cogwheels (TIC):



References:

Taking the Pulse of Pediatrics. PEDIATRICS Vol. 129 No. 1 January 1, 2012, pp. 168 -169 (doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-3288).

Social media in medicine: How to be a Twitter superstar and help your patients and your practice

Patients directed to online tools don't necessarily use them: 25% checked website vs. 42% read same material on paper. Am Medical News, 2012.

"The Clinic" at Walmart - Operated by "Family Medicine Specialists"

Medical clinics debut at Walmart stores and the photos from one Chicago location are included in this blog post (click to enlarge the images to see the details such as pricing, etc.).

Walmart has been adding health clinics to its stores during the last 3 years as part of its drive for "one-stop shopping." There were 100 in-store clinics in 21 states in 2010.

The clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners. Does that fit the description of "Family Medicine Specialists"?

Services include $14 for a pregnancy test, $29 for a flu vaccine, and $49 for treatment of a sinus infection or physical examination. The most expensive services cost $75, for treatment of bladder infections and ear wax removal.



CVS Pharmacy is not too far behind with their own model for in-store clinics called the "Minute Clinic". In fact, Minute Clinic is the largest retail clinic chain in the country, with 600 clinics in CVS stores in 24 states. Almost half of Minute Clinic's clientele don't have a primary-care doctor of their own.

A patient's mother: "The beauty of it is we're maybe 30 feet from diagnosis to pharmacy. I'm very busy and this is one-stop shopping."

References:

Medical clinic debuts at city's Walmart store
Medical clinics in retail settings are booming - USA Today.
Number of patients receiving care at retail clinics (Target, Walmart, etc.) increases http://goo.gl/9B74c
"The Family Doctor, Minus the M.D." - NYTimes keeps pushing the idea of "The Nurse as Family Doctor" http://buff.ly/R1rbn9

Comments from Twitter:

@langdon: False advertising. That would actually be sanctioned here in Ontario as per recent guidance about specialty titles from our College.

@napernurse: Pharm son works for #Walgreens. Costs them $5 to be seen by NP for whatever :) Can just walk-in & now WAG on "Blue Button" campaign.

Reinaldo B. @basanezrx: at least they are clear about the pricing, same as the clinics in Walgreens. I’d love to see specific prices for hospitals.

"The doctor in literature: Private life" by Solomon Posen at Google Books

"This is a structured, annotated and indexed anthology dealing with the personality and the behaviour of doctors, and doctor-patient relationships - ideal for medical humanities courses."

17% of food-related asphyxiations were caused by hot dogs - "the perfect plug for a child's airway"

From Consumer Reports health blog:

Small toys and foods that are choking hazards should carry warning labels - and some hot dog brands already do.

About 17% of food-related asphyxiations were caused by hot dogs. In total, 41% were caused by food items including:

- hot dogs
- grapes
- carrots
- hard candy

Food manufacturers should design new foods and redesign existing foods to avoid shapes, sizes, textures and other characteristics that increase choking risk to children, to the extent possible.

"If you were to take the best engineers in the world and try to design the perfect plug for a child's airway, it would be a hot dog," says statement author Gary Smith. "I'm a pediatric emergency doctor, and to try to get them out once they're wedged in, it's almost impossible."

References:

Hot dogs under fire: Doctors push for stronger labeling
http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/feb2210studies.htm

Image source: Wikipedia, GNU Free Documentation License.

Related:

Kinder Surprise egg seized at U.S. border - banned by law as a choking hazard to young children http://goo.gl/UNUoG - Sold around the world.
Tragedy as teacher dies choking on hot dog at Wrigley Field http://bit.ly/15KdFkc
"Food is risky. You can choke on a hot dog, be poisoned by a pizza or die slowly from years of eating too much" - The Economist, 2014 http://buff.ly/1k0lKBY

"The Parallax Effect of Long Hair" - Ian Gillan's talk

"The Parallax Effect of Long Hair" is a talk by Ian Gillian, Singer & Song writer with Deep Purple, given at The ICD Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy 2012 (Berlin, December 13th - 16th, 2012), The Power of the Arts and Culture to Promote Democracy and Global Peace:



Here is the back story, explained by Gillan: The Magic Bus http://www.gillan.com/anecdotage-45.html

Here, Gillan briefly reflects on the talk:

"When the director asked for the title and a copy of the speech I told him it would be entitled 'The Parallax Effect on Long Hair' and that it would be off the cuff, so to speak.

Basically it's about perception or how things are viewed differently, depending on where you're standing.

I was a little nervous to start with as it was unscripted and I'd never spoken publicly before, apart from the usual gibberish delivered on stage each night with DP before being gloriously interrupted by a drumist not known for his patience. But I did enjoy it and may do another, one day."

References:

ICD Mediacenter | Selection http://bit.ly/USLnf9
Gillan.com http://bit.ly/16diIEH

Selected videos from TEDxMaastricht "The Future of Health"

TEDxMaastricht is the European stage for bright ideas, bold thinkers and innovators in medicine and healthcare. The playlist embedded below includes 16 videos:



References:
TEDxMaastricht selected videos with comments. Laika's MedLibLog.