Cast & Curious

Category: Uncategorized

  • I decided to move out of the house

    Mavik Banner: physician; scientist. Searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have… then an accidental overdose of gamma radiation alters his body chemistry. And now when David Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs. The creature is driven by rage and pursued by an investigative reporter. The creature is wanted for a murder he didn’t commit. David Banner is believed to be dead, and he must let the world think that he is dead, until he can find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him.

    What would we do baby, without us?

    I bet we been together for a million years, And I bet we’ll be together for a million more. Oh, It’s like I started breathing on the night we kissed, and I can’t remember what I ever did before. What would we do baby, without us? What would we do baby, without us? And there ain’t no nothing we can’t love each other through. What would we do baby, without us? Sha la la la.

    Here’s the story of a lovely lady

    Here’s the story of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls. All of them had hair of gold, like their mother, the youngest one in curls. Here’s the store, of a man named Brady, who was busy with three boys of his own. They were four men, living all together, yet they were all alone. ‘Til the one day when the lady met this fellow. And they knew it was much more than a hunch, that this group would somehow form a family. That’s the way we all became the Brady Bunch, the Brady Bunch. That’s the way we all became the Brady Bunch. The Brady Bunch!

    Who can turn the world on with her smile? Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile? Well it’s you girl, and you should know it. With each glance and every little movement you show it. Love is all around, no need to waste it. You can have a town, why don’t you take it. You’re gonna make it after all. You’re gonna make it after all.

    In time of ancient gods, warlords and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle. The power. The passion. The danger. Her courage will change the world.

    Being evil has a price. I hear a lot of little secrets. Tell me yours, and I’ll keep it. You oughta know my name by now, better think twice. Being evil has a price. I’ve got a nasty reputation. Not a bit of hesitation, you better think twice. ‘Cause being evil has a price.

    Chosen from among all others by the Immortal Elders – Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles

    The time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights. It’s time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight! It’s time to put on makeup, it’s time to dress up right. It’s time to raise the curtain on the Muppet Show tonight. Why do we always come here? I guess we’ll never know. It’s like a kind of torture to have to watch the show! And now let’s get things started – why don’t you get things started? It’s time to get things started on the most sensational inspirational celebrational Muppetational… This is what we call the Muppet Show!

    Chosen from among all others by the Immortal Elders – Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, Mercury – Billy Batson and his mentor travel the highways and byways of the land on a never-ending mission: to right wrongs, to develop understanding, and to seek justice for all! In time of dire need, young Billy has been granted the power by the Immortals to summon awesome forces at the utterance of a single word – SHAZAM – a word which transforms him in a flash into the mightiest of mortal beings, Captain Marvel!

  • Top 5 reasons why Filipino physicians (might) embrace social media in healthcare

    (SPOILER ALERT: At HealthXPh, we have embraced social media in healthcare 🙂 )

    Read about social media “push” in healthcare? HealthXPh has been nitpicking social media and emerging technologies  in healthcare since 3 months ago.  HealthXPh got the attention of the medical community but most physicians in this country still shun social media in healthcare. Why? There’s a myriad of reasons for this but the evolving digital health environment show telltale signs of social media knocking at the doorsteps of healthcare in the Philippines.  Here’s some compelling reasons why the Filipino physician might embrace social media in healthcare.

    1. Social media is changing the landscape of physician- patient engagement.

    As in any other relationship, a doctor-patient engagement relies heavily on communication. Digital technology is changing how we communicate with each other. Social media is fast becoming a communication highway. I’m sure some patients and physicians have used or is using social media for healthcare purposes. We get health questions via facebook or clinic appointment schedule via chat. A colleague “tweeted” a referral. Patient support groups are on facebook or Google. We point social media inquiries to appropriate physicians or our clinics. These healthcare “transactions” may seem superficial to many but definitely it impacts physician-patient engagement. 

    2. Patients search health information online, including some social media sites. 

    You probably been into forums or social media groups where questions mainly revolved around health and healthcare. Irked by the misleading health information on social propagated by unscrupulous “medical experts”? Cried foul?  There are two critical facets in health education- getting the necessary (accurate) health information and passing on the good ones via health education. Even if we don’t participate in these sites there’s no stopping patients from getting or spreading health information via social media sites. If you find out your patients are getting (and probably passing on) “bad” health information on social media, will you leave them there by staying on the “sidelines” and do nothing about it?

    3. Humans are innately social. Health is social. Philippines is the world’s top social media user.

    Filipinos are known to be a very social.It’s not surprising therefore that Philippines is on top of the world in terms of social media usage by percentage population. Social media is so intertwined with our daily lives that some national events have been cooked and hacked via social media. Moreover, this digitally connected generation spent more time on facebook than anywhere else. It’s not very hard to think that healthcare is one of the most discussed info in social media.

    4. Social media has leverage the power of the voice for healthcare stakeholders

    Notice how social media changed landscape of influence in healthcare? The recent BIR tax campaign directed at professionals took the “headlines” of timelines and status updates. “Loud” discussions occupied social media sites. Voices from physicians not in your sphere of influence popped out of nowhere and swooned you into action, or dissention. It may not have been that successfully loud to gather up the huge support needed but it definitely affected the way we think and behave towards healthcare issues. The bottomline is that healthcare stakeholders used social media to spread advocacies, rally support and push for changes in health care . Social media has given us, a voice.

    5. Social media gave us a platform for health education.

    There is no denying we need to up this country’s health literacy. Taking care of our patients entails health education. Health education is part of our treatment strategy. Social media has tremendously increased our reach, at a much cheaper expense.This offers huge potential for mass health education beyond clinic space.  The challenge for health educators is harnessing this platform to augment health teachings in the clinics.

    Social media healthcare in the Philippines is here and it will stay for quite sometime. The question is not anymore when, but how should we utilize it.

    (If you are a Filipino physician practicing in the Philippines, please join our survey on social media usage of healthcare professionals here. It will only take less than 5 minutes of your time. 🙂 )

    Resources
    How to prepare for and execute an online presence in healthcare
    http://www.howardluksmd.com/orthopedic-social-media/physician-social-media-presence-

    Social Media Engagement: The Surprising Facts About How Much Time People Spend On The Major Social Networks
    http://www.businessinsider.com/social-media-engagement-statistics-2013-12#ixzz2zdUwqd9w

    Philippines named social networking capital of the world
    http://asiancorrespondent.com/54475/philippines-named-the-social-networking-capital-of-the-world-indonesia-malaysia-amongst-top-10/

    24 Outstanding Statistics & Figures on How Social Media has Impacted the Health Care Industry –
    http://getreferralmd.com/2013/09/healthcare-social-media-statistics/#sthash.M1zpASgb.dpufhttp://getreferralmd.com/2013/09/healthcare-social-media-statistics/

    Health Fact Sheet
    http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/health-fact-sheet/

    As a novel communication tool, Social Media will improve doctoring.http://www.drjohnm.org/2013/04/as-a-novel-communication-tool-social-media-will-improve-doctoring/

  • Social Media Usage Survey among Filipino Physicians

    [quote]We are the social media capital of the world. We have the fastest internet and mobile phone penetrations and yet, we don’t know what are we using social media for?[/quote]

    In the last five years, internet usage in the Philippines has grown tremendously to 531%  from a mere 2% in 2008. That figure is the highest in SouthEast Asia and one of the highest in the world. Mobile phone penetration also topped a whooping 107% in 2012. The most recent survey by GlobalWebIndex also found  the Philippines to lead the world in social media engagement.  Facebook remains the social media platform of choice for Filipinos with 92.2% penetration, but Twitter, Youtube and other social media platforms is catching up.

    Despite this mind boggling usage growth, internet penetration is a shy 36% in 2012 and mobile smartphone penetration at a meek 15% in September of 2013. There are many assumptions on what the Filipinos are using the social media for but specific statistics remains elusive.  Are we using social media for personal, entertainment or to socialize? We don’t know, as of yet. I am not yet talking about social media healthcare but the answer should be a louder “we don’t know, yet!” .

    The thing is,  social media’s fast becoming a platform for healthcare engagement in developed nations. Take a look at this infographic in the US.

    digital-doctor-survey-zocdoc-588x908 (1)
    Infographic from HCSM monitor website (http://hcsmmonitor.com/2013/12/20/how-did-doctors-use-social-media-in-2013/)

    We are the social media capital of the world. We have the fastest internet and mobile phone penetrations and yet, we don’t know for sure how we are using social media for.

    This is why collaborators at #healthxph initiated this survey to document the social media usage among Filipino Physicians. Healthxph is a collaborative platform for community of Filipino physicians discussing the use of emerging technologies and social media in healthcare. We need to get the pulse of the physician community and come up with a strategy to effect change on our healthcare system vis-a vis, social media.

    This our plea to our colleagues in the medical profession.

    Please answer this  Social Media Survey Usage of Filipino Physicians. It will take less than 5 minutes of your internet time. All data gathered in this survey will remain confidential except for the demographics which might be used, for academic purposes. Identities of those surveyed will remain anonymous and private unless explicit consent from individual owners that their social media accounts be opened to public.

    At the end of the survey, demographic results will be emailed to all who participated in the study and will be posted at healthxph.net

    Resources

    As the internet turns 25, China has 2.5 times more users than US
    http://blog.globalwebindex.net/internet-turns-25

    Mobile Penetration in Southeast Asia: 2013 Data Roundup
    http://www.tigermine.com/2013/12/12/mobile-penetration-southeast-asia-2013-data-round/

    Global Map of Social Networking 2011
    https://globalwebindex.net/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2011/06/Global-Map-of-Social-Networking-GlobalWebIndex-June-20112.pdf

    Social, Digital and Mobile: Philippines
    http://wearesocial.net/blog/2012/01/social-digital-mobile-philippines/

    PH Internet audience growth fastest in Southeast Asia
    http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/technology/35384-philippine-internet-audience-growth-comscore

    HOW DID DOCTORS USE SOCIAL MEDIA IN 2013?

    How Did Doctors Use Social Media In 2013?

  • What’s your manifesto as a patient on Social Media? #HealthXPh Feb 22 Tweetchat and HOA

    One request I often get from tech and social media savvy patients is this, “Doc, can I add you as my friend on Facebook?”.

    My reply is something like this : “ No, I don’t add patients as friends on facebook, but you can communicate with me on my professional facebook page”.  I sometimes draw flak on this social media policy but as I’ve mentioned in our last #HealthXPh tweet chat and Hangout On Air (Social Media and Medical Professionalism: A manifesto from #HealthXPh) this is the best setup for me and my patients so far.

    I do realize though that patients probably wanted a  social media manifesto of their own, just like their physicians. This manifesto empowers patient to “own up” their health and bring health care conversations to their level.

    To refresh, a manifesto as defined by Merriam-Webster.com, is :

    a written statement that describes the policies, goals, and opinions of a person or group.

    A social media manifesto self commits an individual- a patient or a healthcare professional, how he/she intends to behave on the different social media platforms.  We at #HealthXPh believe a manifesto is different from a guideline. A guideline  is enforced by a governing body based on existing laws and policies. In the Philippines, we don’t have healthcare social media laws or governing bodies yet. A manifesto is more powerful because it’s an expression of what an individual or group’s  intends to do on social media.

    If you are a patient and wanted to join the conversation on patient’s social media manifesto, join us this Saturday February 22, 2014 10:00 AM Philippine Standard Time (UTC + 8 ) on #HealthXPh tweet chat and Hangout On Air.

  • How to start (or join) a Google+ Hangout On Air

    (This is a three part mini series by the author on Google+ ‘s Hangout on Air. The first part explains why #HealthXPh chose Hangout On Air as a platform for its online conversations. The second part is a mini how-to, to help out healthcare advocates set up their own HOA. The third part will deal on HOA etiquette which we hopefully would incorporate on future HOA)

    We’ve been using twitter (tweet chat) and Hangout On Air (HOA) for our online conversations here at #HealthXPh. So far, it’s been a fun and learning experience for us. The thing is, there’s just five of us who have  joined the #HealthXPh HOA. The rest I supposed, are lurking on the the youtube feed. Why?

    Setting up an HOA or joining one is a bit frustrating sometimes.  The technical aspect repels most people.  I remember starting a live HOA before, with just me on it. I couldn’t find the “invite” button. Well guess what?! The youtube video recorded a confused face appearing to fix something for 15 minutes.  So much for the techie guy  huh?

    This is why  I am writing an HOA mini how to. So you won’t end up looking “confused” inside an HOA!  At the end of this article, I hope you try out HOA and join us in our regular #HealthXPh HOA discussions. The best way to learn new apps/tools online like Hangouts on Air is to try it out yourself.

    A. What you need:

    • A computer/laptop/smartphone (iOS/Android)
    • A web browser (Chrome preferably) if you have a desktop/laptop or Google Plus app + Hangout plugin for smartphones
    • A working webcam and headset for the video chat

    B. To broadcast an HOA live (or join an HOA) you need to set up the following  first. (Click the hyperlinks for help )

    C. There are two ways you can start an HOA. You can start one immediately or schedule a Hangout On Air with an event page. I recommend the later. Here are the steps you need to do: (Got these steps from this HOA help page)

    1. Go to Hangouts On Air.
    2. Click Start a Hangout On Air.
    3. Create a name and a description in the first two boxes.
    4. Choose a start time:
      • Choose Now to start the Hangout On Air  immediately after you create the event page.
      • Choose Later and fill in the date and time for when you want your Hangout On Air to start.
    5. Choose your audience: This is the audience that can see the Google+ event page. For maximum reach, “Public” is recommended. Adding specific people and circles ensures they receive a notification. Regardless of the audience you choose here, the Hangout On Air will be publicly viewable on YouTube.
    6. Click Share to schedule your Hangout On Air.

    People can RSVP to your Hangout On Air through the event page and view on multiple devices. (Remember though this does not automatically include you in the HOA during the broadcast. The even page is just an announcement page to make people aware of the scheduled HOA. The host still needs to invite you thru a video call once the HOA started.)

    D. Upload a video or an image (This is an optional step, and I haven’t tried this one yet)

    Once your event page has been created, you can add a video or image as a custom trailer for your Hangout On Air. If you don’t add one, your users will see a countdown clock to the event.

    To add a custom video, click Add a trailer and add a YouTube video by either searching, entering a YouTube URL, or selecting a video already uploaded to your YouTube account.

    To add a custom image, click Add a trailer and add an image.

    E. Collect audience questions before your Hangout On Air starts

    You can turn on the Q&A app from the event page to gather questions from the audience before your Hangout On Air starts and answer them during the broadcast. When you start the Hangout On Air, open the Q&A app to see the list of questions asked.

    F. Start broadcasting your scheduled Hangout On Air

    1. Go to your Hangout On Air event in your Google+ events page.
    2. Click Start in your event.
    3. Invite your participants.
    4. Click Start Broadcast to go live.

    Once you start your Hangout On Air, you can also add more features and apps to your Hangout On Air. Below is an example of youtube’s  recording of an #HealthXPh weekly Hangout On Air:

    G. How do I join an HOA?

    Joining an HOA can be a bit confusing too.  When someone schedules an HOA, the link created lead you to the Youtube feed, not the HOA itself. The host should create an event page first, announcing the scheduled HOA, then invite everyone to the event. This way, the potential audience will be aware of the scheduled HOA. During the actual HOA  and prior to the live broadcast, the host will have to invite you again thru a video call.  This has been the case for us so far. Here are the steps for joining an HOA:

    1. Go to your hangout plugin and wait for a video call invite.
    2. Once you receive a video call, click “join”.  A pop up screen will warn you that you are joining a live broadcast. After checking the ticker that says yes, you will then be brought to the HOA screen.
    3. Once inside the live HOA, check to see if your hangout apps are all working- screen share, Q&A, cameraman, mute/unmute button and your  hide/unhide camera button.
    4. Wait for the host/moderator to acknowledge you. It’s also good habit to check if the moderator can hear/see you.
    5. Introduce yourself to the group briefly before joining any discussion.
    6. Speak only when the moderator ask you to speak. Mute your mic if its not your turn to speak yet.
    7. Do not open the youtube feed of the HOA together with the HOA window to prevent echoes from ruining your conversations.

    Like any discussions, HOAs are moderated usually by the host. He or she has control of almost everything inside HOA. Thus, the host plays a central role that keeps the HOA lively and highly interactive. If you are invited in an HOA that would mean you can ask questions and interact with the speakers/panel at a designated time.

    Thats it! In my next post, I will be suggesting HOA ground rules and etiquette. Watch out for it!