Over a span of several years, I’ve been blogging about almost everything related to my practice. That same time I “grew up” from a “grunt” blogger to one that takes positive insights to every bit of challenge hurled in front of me, medicine related or otherwise. This blog also “expanded”  its horizons from just relating personal experiences to some “serious” stuff about healthcare.

the current blog theme

Physicians still has the “authority” over medicine, but not without silent criticisms from “internet powered” patient. Patients gets medical information, validated or not, from the internet. That was years ago. The broad definition of internet sources it seems, is not limited to peer reviewed journals and strict professional medical organizations’ websites. Social media entered the picture and  is becoming a source of medical information. In fact social media, has been pushing boundaries and game changing healthcare as we knew. Healthcare couldn’t just shrug off social media nowadays.

Thus most of the time, physicians just parry questions left and right, answering “yes that’s right mister” or “No mam that study you read on the internet is not accurate!”. In fact, physicians sometimes get into embarrassing moments when patients volunteer information from the internet none of us came across that data (because maybe, we are busy with doctoring and everything else other than googling). (Here’s one good guide on how to deal with the patients who surf the net made by Dr. Iris Tan)

Healthcare it seems, is playing catch up on social media.

In this set up, I began to rethink about this blog evolving role in social-media-healthcare-catch-up sort of thing. Five years into blogging, there still not that many physicians grabbing the opportunity of using social media as a healthcare tool. In the business sense, a social media strategy to aid in his practice or just healthcare for that matter.

I thought of providing information about orthopedics or general medicine. But over the years providing such scientific informations per se are better done  by sites related to professional medical organizations and peer reviewed journals.

Which brings me to what I’m probably changing a bit about the tone of this blog.

I like writing on a more personal level, presenting an information and then nitpick an idea to go deeper into how I’d be able understand it. It’s more of summarizing, injecting personal thoughts and giving a whole lot of personal touch to understanding medical information. There’s more of trying to reconcile experiences with whats the journals says. Most of the time, it’s the “bone of contention” or the question/ dilemma that needs to be decided or answered  which keeps the information interesting and the interaction lively.

Thus, I’m gunning for a more personal, meaty content, on health care.

Note the blog theme is changing. Minimalist. More on content. And the title.,

My bone of contention…

I'm stuck writing!(Photo from this site http://www.webunlimited.com/blog/search-engine-optimization/25-sure-fire-blog-headline-templates-you-can-use-now/)

Why are you pounding those keyboards on your computer to journal your thoughts , experiences and maybe, your wisdom? Are you stuck?

With the explosion of other more convenient and uber popular social medium like facebook or twitter, it’s common nowadays that I get annoying questions like “You still blog? Why not just shout it out in facebook or twitter?”

Yeah, I’m beginning to ask myself this: Am I stuck with writing?or blogging? Are we a dying breed? Or more importantly, why are we (still) writing or blogging instead of hanging out with facebook or twitter?

Those questions I will throw to you all my fellow doc bloggers for the first ever blog rounds second edition! I’m hosting it too here at The Orthopedic Logbook. This is my call for articles. I’m sure many of you have one reason or many, personal or commercial, emotional or political to stay on writing this thing we do. I’m sure would be very interested.

Again read the rules of engagement for the blog rounds here.

Invited docs are listed here in my links. I’m adding a few others and I’ll tag you by FB (Blog Rounds closed group) or twitter with hastag #blogrounds2

Deadline: Maybe Sunday May 15, 2011 at around 12 noon? Just give me a link to your post, by commenting below, as soon as you can. I’ll do the rest as the HOST.

Well, lets just say I miss the blog rounds. Are you all game???

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Remo Aguilar

One thing I always do whenever I get this “blogger’s-duh-moments” is read what my fellow docs write  or see what they’re up to in their blogs. A kind of stalking yes, but believe me, their stories are pretty inspiring. Busy schedules aside, some write ups and post reveal a lot about their preoccupation outside of their medical careers!

Hobby-Happy:

Take Prudence MD‘s Toycon 2010 experience. I did know she liked cosplay but attending  a Toy Convention sans the odors and the bumpy crowd? Your guess is as good as mine. Hooked!  I noticed too she had a new medical site named MROD notes! Rock on senior!

Gigi, fellow orthopod (who I suspect is a linguist too, a musician perhaps) narrates and critiques a french movie. Seriously I know nothing french except fries and toast, but yeah I wouldn’t wait 40 minutes for a movie. There I said it.  Cause you said so.

Cooking aside, I missed Manggy’s food post and pictures. Uh, well, how can you resist such yummy food photos? Even if half the time, I don’t know what’s cooking?!

Medicine outside of the clinics:

Merry Cherry, the family physician in training is ripping his hearts out with “money matters”, in treating her patients. Welcome to the real world. No, the real, real, medical world where money does matter and all you can do is comfort our patients. Thumbs up for the experience!

Ugh! Brian‘s Realizations… We have plenty of them indeed. You don’t have to go to craniec or cardio monitoring however. Learn the best from both worlds- books and consultants that is. What I’m sure of is as a resident, you’ll get a hit anytime and anywhere you least expect. But then, it’ll pass. It’ll pass..Five years isn’t that long.

Extended learning:

Doc Clairebear, who chronicles from the middle of nowhere, (oo nga, saan nga ba?) started her birthday on a positive note. That of seeing life in a positive light. Well, if you were negatively grounded before, I certainly didn’t noticed. But let’s start your birthday with a drive test that you passed. Positive.

When one talks of new beginnings in a seemingly tunneled professional life, I turn to this post by Doc Ian. The professor is now a student, again. And he’s excited about it. All I can say Doc is, “did we ever stop being a student?”.  Good luck and I will be reading your posts more often.

Politics:

Doc Martin Bautista thanked us all, for all our support even before he walked the path of politics. Even if he hadn’t gain a seat in the senate, he helped fulfill our collective of expression of hope, for a new president. For P. Noy. Mabuhay Dr. Balikbayan.

Doc Doray, is on her second term as QC councilor. The running councilor is continuing her run for a good city legislative council. The best of luck sis!

The Bubbleman talked dirty on dirt deep politics. Heart you man. After automated election, maybe we should automate voters education. What’d you say?

Ligaya should now be happy too. His president is now our president. Mock me, but how she arrived at her presidential choice, is strikingly similar to me. Let’s cross fingers Ligaya, that our president will perform par with our expectations.

Mommy matters:

Megamom, mega busy with mega kids, mega cooking and mega pictures. What’s left of that is well, for mega works. I’m waiting for her mega posts hopefully soon…

Joey, joey, Joey! Why are you so busy? This raket scientist-mom I knew has the best of all worlds -a busy  medical and non-medical career. Her blog is streaming with posts. Yes, supermom. Go!

Kittymama never fails to bring and infects us with her stories of hope. Her inspiring stories of autism and her love for her child, tells us Yes, there is always hope. Read her post and you’ll know what I’m talking.

Partying, singing and the like…

Yes, the Eye Doctor, singing the Eraserheads ultraelectromagnetic pop songs on karoake?? Hey Doc, I love Bob Marley. The knight’s on daily weed, that’s why his songs are kinda, “weedy”.

And uh, our anesthesiologist online, Dr. Ness, who posted tidbits of her escapades outside the OR theater and the net. She must be very busy getting all those stuff, judging from the signage she’s laughing her heart’s out. And who told you OR people don’t party?

Travel. More travel:

So where in the world is Em Dy? Me, I don’t know. But what I’m pretty sure is she’d be posting another thought on her blog from basically anywhere in the world. Hint: She’s not on the go when shes blogging about movies.

The sign on this blog read “The doctor is out: Beachy“. I won’t bother disturbing.

Oh, careers:

Her last shout/ whisper to the universe, should be titled “sunday duty no more“, as her blog url will tell us. One thing I can share about leaving a training program “It damn take as much courage as sacrifices as pursuing it“. So yes, go to where you are happy to. Suportahan ta ka!

Explaining:

Talking about heat exhaustion during this hot summer season. The Emeritus doc at Parallel Universe talked about how heat can kill a diabetic, hypertensive patient (let me add to that, a diabetic, hypertensive, politician). But not heat stroke, thank god, but Cerebrovascular Strokes. Certainly media and election hype did a thing to the misconception. So beware..

Family, or when we ourselves become the patient (or patient’s significant others)

Don’t give up Doc Abner, there’s always hope. Or something to hope for. Like our patients, all we can do is hope and comfort for our patients. That doesn’t exempt us and our families. God bless you and your family.

Doc Ducay is happy. Totally overjoyed with the new addition to her family. What a happy new year indeed!

Stressed now?

Hop into Doc’s Grace Clinic. Why such blog exudes relaxation and coolness, go check it out. But I have to ask though, what’s in for guys like us doc?

Well if you missed The Blog Rounds, don’t be surprised to read the most recent most edition here. And I’m greatly indebted to Doc JA for hosting TBR and the contributors, Doc Gigi and Doc Sonia. Thank you to all of you! Yes, I learned that too in Kindergarten.

Well the last, but my favorite recently, Last Minute Madness. Doc Sonia blogs with totally entertaining and streaming frequency. Some of her diary like stories is almost always fresh from the box, err, the bus. Read her moonlight saga here and get swooned.

There, all the edema rounds in half a day! Whew, what at read. Now I have so many things to write. Like this post.

For my fellow MD TBR bloggers, if you have reactions (violent or otherwise) leave your comment here.  Please update your links to this blog also, since I changed url sometime ago!