Milk and Cookies
“Mr. Claus, tests indicate your blood is 95% milk and...Social Media Tips for Doctors
Recently, I was asked for personal advice on using Twitter. There are many articles out there that say we (physicians) don’t know how to properly use social media. Social media can be a very powerful tool in medicine. It can not only help us get medical information out there to our patients, but it can also help us connect with people, colleagues, and organizations to give us more visibility—whether for career advancement, media contacts, or just to get our voices heard. Social Media Basics: These are some of the tips I have come up with for doctors who want to take advantage of the many opportunities social media can offer: 1. Never communicate to patients through social media outlets. It is a set up for disaster and HIPAA violations. 2. Social media can be used for educating patients. Patients can follow you on these pages to get information about your practice and whatever medical information you wish to share. Twitter… 3. Twitter is useful for growing your professional connections. It can be leveraged so you get known and also connect with other doctors, healthcare information technology people, media, etc. Patients can follow you on Twitter, but it generally is not a useful method of providing patient information because tweets are limited to 140 characters. 4. Choose your followers carefully. Block those who spam or troll you (“trolls” are people who negatively post with the deliberate intent of provoking a reaction). Many people will try to sell you things. Monitor your account because it is not uncommon for it to be hacked. 5. Grow your network. Have a group that...
Physical Activity Assessment Guide
Despite the well-established benefits of leading a physically active lifestyle, many adults in the United States are not physically active enough. “There is a need for routine and consistent assessment of physical activity in research and clinical settings in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD),” says Scott J. Strath, PhD. “Such assessments may improve the identification of risk factors, minimize physical inactivity, and further advance our understanding of the health-related impact.” Guidance Issued In 2013, the American Heart Association (AHA) released a scientific statement on assessing physical activity. “The objectives of the AHA statement were to provide the rationale for assessing physical activity, explain the key concepts involved in making these assessments, and offer a roadmap on how to conduct these assessments,” says Dr. Strath, who was lead author of the AHA statement. “Most providers have not routinely assessed physical activity levels because they haven’t had the right tools.” “Clinicians should be performing physical activity assessments as part of routine medical care along with the other classic risk factors for these diseases.” The AHA scientific statement features a decision matrix to help providers select the most appropriate assessment method. The matrix includes low-cost or no-cost options, such as questionnaires that patients complete when they arrive for their appointment. “Several issues need to be considered when deciding on ways to assess physical activity levels,” Dr. Strath says. “These include feasibility and practicality of assessments, the availability of resources, and administrative considerations.” The AHA’s decision matrix provides a mechanism for this selection that takes into account all of these factors. The adopted assessment method will vary depending on circumstances because there is...