It’s a bit ironic that when injured people are in pain—and their mobility is reduced—they are often expected to travel to a physical therapy clinic. For millions of people, such trips are a burden. In Australia, however, some patients are “letting movement come to them.” Novel research from The University of Melbourne shows that taking…
Social media has revolutionized my practice. I stay current with Twitter content from other rheumatologists, patient organizations and medical journals. I am also an active member of the international Twitter-based rheumatology journal club, #RheumJC. Still, I was recently surprised when my patient’s name appeared in a friend request. This same patient was following me on…
A 52-year-old woman comes to the office complaining of a two-month history of pain and swelling in the small joints of her hands, feet and knees. She says, “Doctor, I’ve been searching the Internet, and I think I have rheumatoid arthritis. I have some questions for you.” The healthcare system in the U.S. is changing…
(Reuters Health)—People with chronic pain may be able to use online tools to manage their symptoms, lessening the need for frequent doctor visits, an Australian study suggests. Researchers tested a series of web-based pain management tutorials on a group of adults who had been suffering symptoms for more than six months. Regardless of how much…
Learn how to de-identify patient information before sharing it over social media or by other means
The American College of Physicians and the Federation of State Medical Boards has issued its first formal views about how physicians should meld online technology with medical professionalism. (posted June 27, 2013)
There’s no question that direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs is a huge activity, with nearly $5 billion spent on DTC ads in 2007. There’s also no question that the Internet has a vast potential to reach consumers. But when you put DTC advertising and the Internet together, there is a potential for problems and…