Digital Medicine: Healthcare

Showing posts with label Healthcare. Show all posts

Nov 17, 2012

Freeing Medical Data: Video

Technology has enabled us to collect vast amounts of medical data from myriad sources. But most of this data is locked in silos and unavailable for use by researchers. Performing a medical or genomic experiment on a human requires informed consent and careful boundaries around privacy. But what if the data that results, once scrubbed of identifying marks, was released into the wild?

At WeConsent.us, John Wilbanks thinks through the ethical and procedural steps to create an open, massive, mine-able database of data about health and genomics from many sources.

Nov 9, 2012

Benefits and Risks of Healthcare Social Media

Social media includes all online tools and technologies which let people communicate and publish content easily. The most popular among them are Blogs, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Widely used for communications and marketing, these channels are considered as important (if not more important) as mainstream media channels like newspapers and television.

The use of social media in healthcare represents an increasingly effective tool in healthcare. It can be used to communicate with consumers, inform about new wellness schemes, market healthcare products, provide basic healthcare advice, inform about latest medical devices, get instant public feedback and much more. At the same time, Healthcare social media also presents challenges, including risks to information accuracy, organizational reputation, and individual privacy.

The primary focus for most organizations' social media programs is marketing and communications. Hospitals are using social media to target health consumers. As consumers are shifting to online searches before making important healthcare decisions, hospitals are looking at creating solid social media presence and fostering long term relationships with their consumers. Internationally, Mayo Clinic has taken the lead in healthcare social media. Mayo Clinic’s Center for Social Media has a stated mission to "lead the social media revolution in healthcare, contributing to health and well being for people everywhere." Indian hospitals are not far behind. The Apollo Hospitals twitter account has more than 2000 followers. Their Facebook page makes wonderful use of the timeline feature, has 91,000 likes and is fast growing. Their YouTube channel has been active for the past 4 years.

Many organizations have also formed online support groups for patients. Patients are encouraged to share their personal experiences and this consumer generated content is an invaluable source of information for other patients. Many doctors, too, have joined such support forums and provide information on various disorders. In a country like India where 70% of healthcare services are paid for ‘out-of-pocket’, Social Media becomes all the more important for healthcare marketing. Companies selling healthcare devices have found social media influences purchasing decisions. Internationally, many pharma companies too have realized the enormous potential of social media. Almost all major drug companies now have social media presence. Companies like Pfizer, Novartis, J & J and Sanofi-Aventis have launched many innovative social media campaigns. The HR departments in many healthcare organizations are using social media sites to spot and recruit talent.

These new tools of communications come with their own risks and dangers. Like a double edged sword, all points in favor of social media usage also contribute to the dangers associated with their use. The dangers social media exposes healthcare to are internal as well as external. Flippant remarks made by nurses or doctors online can be misconstrued by general public. Cases abound where protected health information was shared online inadvertently. The danger of violations of patient privacy cannot be overstated.

Conversations cannot be controlled and negative remarks made on social media by disgruntled employees or consumers cannot be erased. Such risks can be minimized by fostering positive comments by consumers and show casing achievements and consumer centeredness via these communication channels.

Organizations need to gear up to grab the opportunity and face the challenge that is social media. They need to monitor their ‘social presence’ and keep track of consumer sentiments. Use of social media for innovative marketing and communication campaigns should be encouraged. Organizations should educate both their employees and the public on their privacy practices to encourage responsible use of their social media sites. Guidelines and specific social media policies need to be in place to promote risk free use of social media by employees. Once policy is established, employees, volunteers, contracted employees, and medical staff members should receive training and education to ensure they are aware of the policies and procedures. With proper policy and training for employees, healthcare is slowly but surely taming the social media beast that technology has helped unleash on the markets.

Also See:

· Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Wiki: http://bit.ly/hcsmwiki

· Online Database of Healthcare Social Media Policies: http://bit.ly/hcsmpolicy

· Privacy Policies for Social Media: http://journal.ahima.org/2010/01/06/social-media-policies/

Nov 6, 2012

Top 10 Health Technology Hazards For 2013

The evolution of healthcare information technology systems such as electronic health records (EHRs) has definitely helped improve quality and efficiency in healthcare. At the same time, there’s a growing level of complexity and opportunity for error. With increasing use of technology in healthcare, healthcare providers need to be wary of the associated risks with its use.

Now in its sixth year, ECRI Institute publishes an annual list of top hazards of technology in healthcare. The Top 10 Health Technology Hazards list is updated each year based upon the prevalence and severity of incidents reported to ECRI Institute by healthcare facilities nationwide; information found in the Institute’s medical device problem reporting databases; and the judgment, analysis, and expertise of the organization’s multidisciplinary staff. Here are the group’s estimation of the most probable hazards which might crop up in 2013 because of use of technology in healthcare.

1. Alarm hazards

2. Medication administration errors using infusion pump

3. Unnecessary radiation exposures and radiation burns during diagnostic radiology procedures

4. Patient/data mismatches in EHRs and other health IT (HIT) systems

5. Interoperability failures with medical devices and health IT systems

6. Air embolism hazards

7. Inattention to the needs of pediatric patients when using “adult” technologies

8. Inadequate reprocessing of endoscopic devices and surgical instruments

9. Caregiver distractions from smartphones and other mobile devices

10. Surgical fires

You can download the original report by registering here.

Here are the lists of Top hazards for 2010. for 2011 and for 2012

Photo credit: @Jacobsons on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

May 9, 2012

The Medscapeindia (MSI) Awards 2012 Nominations Are Open

The Medscapeindia was established as an "foundation pursuing a socio-scientific aim" in the year 2010. Medscapeindia serves as a platform that unites doctors for discussion and debate on relevant subjects. And now the inaugural MSI Awards "Recognizing excellence in Healthcare" nominations are open.

Today, the healthcare and medical sector faces myriad problems unique to this niche in India. Ethical guidelines need to be evolved around sensitive subjects such as doctors' communication with patients, pharma-industry sponsored continued medical education (CME), female foeticide, new regulations for fire-safety etc and many more. The Medscapeindia looks to bridge the gap between healthcare professionals and policy making.

Dr. Sunita Dube is the President of The Medscapeindia Foundation.

Aug 6, 2011

How WWW Has Changed Healthcare Over 20 Years

Nothing has overwhelmed the world as quickly as the WWW. Twenty years ago (on 6th august, 1991) the World Wide Web was thrown open for the public ( Thanks to Tim Berners-Lee). Since then, billions of people have joined each other online and converted this into a social platform like no other.

The web has also changed the way healthcare is practiced and delivered. Check this video by Life Healthcare Agency

Also See:

NHS Direct plans to use Facebook to provide medical advice .
How the internet is changing healthcare.
Sixty-one percent of all U.S. adults have used the Internet to look for health or medical information
The Internet's impact on healthcare

May 16, 2011

The 10 Most Innovative Companies in Healthcare '2011

Here's a list of 10 most innovative companies in health care ( as per Fast Company), working to provide simple but effective technology solutions in healthcare.

1) Epocrates

For creating software that gives doctors and nurses instant information on drug-to-drug interactions, treatment recommendations, and more on their mobile devices or laptops.

2) SynCardia Systems

For giving mobility to artificial-heart recipients. Syncardia makes the world's only FDA-approved completely artificial heart. During a ten-year study for the FDA, 79 percent of patients successfully lived on the man-made heart until receiving a human heart transplant.

3) Voxiva

For developing mobile apps that coach users through everything from smoking cessation to diabetes management. The company recently worked with the U.S. government to launch Text4Baby, a mobile education program for pregnant women, and its work in poor countries like Rwanda has been a lifeline.

4) Cleveland Clinic

For rethinking the entire hospital experience, from the buildings to the hospital gown, with an eye to delivering a better patient experience. Ombudsman complaints dropped over 40% last year (versus 2009), patient satisfaction scores have gone up, and medical outcomes have been better across the board.

5) SafePoint

For providing a solution for one of the most intractable global health care issues: reused syringes, which render most injections in India, Pakistan, and Africa--and a growing number in the U.S.--unsafe and sometimes fatal. Inventor Marc Koska's low-cost syringe can't be reused--one use, it locks in place. Now, after eight years in the marketplace, Koska has licensing agreements with 14 countries and SafePoint's global awareness campaigns have reached over 500 million people.

6) Envoy Medical

For creating the first FDA-approved surgically implanted hearing system to address hearing loss caused by aging, noise and viral infections. Placed under the skin behind the ear, the Envoy device comprises a sound processor, sensor, and driver that convert vibrations in the ear into electrical signals that are processed so they're perceived as sound.

7) GE

For promising to revolutionize diagnosis with the Vscan, a mobile, pocket-size ultrasound machine the size of an iPod, connected to short wand. It works just like the bulky conventional ultrasound machine, providing an instant visual image (in color or black and white) inside the body, beyond a patient's vital signs.

8) PharmaSecure

For coming up with cost-effective protection against counterfeit drugs, which are especially prevalent in developing nations. Each individual drug package is stamped with a unique code and phone number. Consumers submit the code via text message, and PharmaSecure confirms the drug's authenticity. The service launched last year and is currently being used in India, where the government has moved to mandate the technology.

9) Neurovigil

For building a database of brainwave activity to help researchers recognize disease patterns in people affected by neural or nervous system maladies. The company's iBrain headband, worn at night, uses wireless electrodes to capture brainwaves. NeuroVigil's software interprets the data to produce a map of activity during sleep that's richer than anything previously available.

10) Second Sight Medical Products

For its ground-breaking retinal-implant technology, which recently hit the European market. FDA approval is pending.

You can also see the last year's list:

Top 10 Innovative Companies in Healthcare 2010

Dec 10, 2010

Social Media and a Medical Practitioner: Guide from 'Down Under'

Research Projects like those carried out by pathoftheblueeye.com as well as by Accenture have pointed out Medscape.com and WebMD.com as the most often visited sites by Medical Professionals ( 50 % of the time spent within health category) as well as non-medicos. Social Media sites showed a rapidly rising 6% of time spent by a large number of people.

Social Media is now being widely used by doctors as well as patients. All doctors even remotely on social media face many ethical and moral questions regarding online physician-patient relationships. So when is it Okay to use social media and when is it Not ?!

Recently, The American Medical association posted some guidelines for Doctors use of social media tools in a professional capacity.

But now we have the Australia Medical Association and New Zealand Medical Association come out with their version on this dilemma. Here is the google document ( a 14 page pdf you can download/ view online). It is one of the most practical and useful guide of its kind online.

Attached: Social Media and the Medical Profession_FINAL with links.pdf

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Feb 24, 2010

Top 10 innovative companies in Health care: 2010

The pocket-size Vscan ultrasound device lets primary-care doctors make diagnoses that once required a specialist. "Often, people get referred to a specialist because a doctor doesn't have the visuals to make the decision. This tool can lower the cost to the overall system," says Barber.

Developed for use in emerging countries and remote rural areas, the Mac 400 and 800 ultra-mobile ECG machines make sophisticated heart assessments available anywhere. "An ECG used to mean going to a hospital," Barber says, "and for large parts of India, China, and Africa, that doesn't work."

The Centricity Electronic Medical Record system puts a patient's complete medical history into a clear, secure, and easily accessible digital format proven to reduce errors. To tap stimulus money coming to doctors in 2011, GE Capital created a no-interest loan program called Stimulus Simplicity so that doctors can acquire the technology now.

Together with Intermountain Healthcare, the Mayo Clinic, and other institutions, GE created a digital database giving doctors anywhere access to the most up-to-date treatment options. Tied to electronic medical records, the system can compare histories of a vast number of patients for more consistent diagnoses and treatment.

GE and Intel announced a $250 million alliance in which GE will market and sell home-monitoring technologies, including the Intel Health Guide.

PatientsLikeMe

Cofounders Ben and Jamie Heywood started the site after their brother Stephen was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). Since 2008, they have set up data-rich communities for several other chronic ailments, including fibromyalgia and Parkinson's disease, and they plan to add more in the coming year. That should benefit many more people like Knowles, who lauds PatientsLikeMe for its "wealth of information about treatments from people who are actually using them. And you can follow patient responses over time -- after three months, six months, a year." Sounds like the future of medical care for chronic diseases.

Sermo -

Physicans use this free Web service to discuss treatments and other medical issues anonymously. In September, the "Facebook for doctors" became a political force when members amassed 10,000 signatures for a petition opposing the American Medical Association's acceptance of the House health-care reform bill.

Athenahealth, Kaiser Permanente, Walgreens, Intuitive Surgical, Cisco Systems, Second Sight and American Well are the other Companies mentioned in this list.

http://www.fastcompany.com/mic/2010/industry/most-innovative-healthcare-companies

Oct 4, 2008

Using technology in medicine.

A new advanced facility at the University of Minnesota is harnessing big ideas for medical devices.

It's called the Medical Devices Center.

"I don't think there's any place across the country in an academic setting with this kind of facility," said Art Erdman, director of the Medical Devices Center.

Located on the East Bank, the center is a place for engineers and medical professionals to come together and capture the ideas of graduate students often lost when they graduate and move on. "[Ideas] are lost all the time," Erdman noted.

At the center, medical device prototypes from the simple to the complex can be mocked up faster than the weeks it can take if a design has to be made off site. Sometimes prototypes can be finished in a day.

One prototype currently on display that was created at the university is a device that would conduct radial breast compression for MRI's, potentially replacing the bilateral breast compression plates that are currently used.

In addition to prototype manufacturing and providing facilities to test devices on tissue, the center also has new 3D cameras that will be used in about 40 operating rooms around campus.

These cameras will allow groups of engineering students to sit in on surgeries remotely so they can help medical experts solve problems.

Surgeons will also be able to see the students on monitors in the OR and communicate with them during surgery.

"Right now you're lucky if you can get into a surgery suite as an engineer. [They] maybe allow one to two people at a time," engineering graduate student Nathan Knutson said. "So to be able to project those surgeries here and have the prototyping equipment to sit down and start solving the surgeon's problems with their devices and handheld manipulators we can really come across with some great innovations and
breakthroughs."

Not only will graduate students be able to advance their ideas more easily, the center has also hired a team of engineering and medical experts well established in their fields to brainstorm ideas.

And a new fellows program will bring together four experts this fall.

"We put them in a think tank and for one year they seek out relevant clinical needs," Fellows program director Marie Johnson said. "So they actually put on scrubs and go over to the OR's, sit in the clinics, watch rehab, participate in all aspects of medical care and they ask stupid questions."

Those stupid questions though, could lead to the next big idea.

Erdman said harnessing these ideas will be good for the University of Minnesota, and potentially great for the state.

"Arguably, this is the center in the United States for medical devices, certainly in cardiology and urology, so how do we sustain that?" he asked. "It's very important for the economy of the state."

Read it all at:
University of Minnesota Opens New Medical Devices Center - MPO Magazine

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