Cast & Curious

Blog

  • #HealthXPh recent tweet chat just broke all its previous analytics records, again!

    Means, healthcare and patient advocates could be (twitter) rockstars too, someday.

    Here’s why:

    1. Interesting, enjoyable and humanely topic.
    Humans are social. People like to discuss interesting, enjoyable and affirmative topic. Anything related to a healthcare advocacy is inherently positive I think.  Advocacies are uniquely human activities. Right?

    2. Global, like minded but opinion diverse participants.
    Alas! I’m overwhelmed by the 77 participants! Thanks to the transcript, I have time to review the 77 thoughts thrown in the discussion. For information sponge like me, that’s just plain and simple, yebah!

    3. Probing, enthusiastic and brutally honest moderator.
    Okay, I might be exaggerating. But I simply stopped for a moment, to racked my brains for answers every time the moderator, Stef  Dela Cruz (www.stefdelacruz)  throw questions to participants. Special mention to the killer subquestions.

    4. Open mindedness that could swallow a universe of ideas.
    The exchange of ideas were passionate. I’m still amaze at how the 140 character tweets would trigger a (fast) flurry of exchanges without resulting to duels! The learnings are so vast! I’m beginning to think, social interactions online, like twitter is just an iteration of human interaction offline.

    5. Very accommodating, grateful and positively vibed tweeps participating.
    When you stumble upon like minded people on twitter, the first impression you’ll have is the politeness and courtesy extended to the newbies. As a newbie, I loved the kindness. Everybody likes positive vibes. Even the tweaked songs like “tweet, tweet, tweet, tweeeet!” by Doc Buboy is a reflection of how positivity is infective even in tweetverse!

    Even healthcare and patient advocates could be rockstars too, on twitter that is! Agree?

  • Book Review: Comprehensive Hip & Knee Textbook 1st Edition

    The Comprehensive Hip and Knee Textbook 1st Edition by the ASEAN Arthroplasty Association and The Hip and Knee Society is a comprehensive textbook for arthroplasty surgeons and healthcare professionals managing hip and knee patients in the ASEAN region.

    Contributed by select experts on arthroplasty from ASEAN region, the book essentially lays out theoretical concepts and tips for routine practice in primary hip and knee arthroplasty.

    The book is written with the ASEAN hip and knee arthroplasty surgeons in mind. The editorial board took great lengths in selecting regional experts and healthcare professionals in the field of hip and knee arthroplasty. The contributing authors and editors also tapped on the time tested experience of these surgeons, combined that with currently accepted treatment guidelines to treat hip and knee problems peculiar to the ASEAN region.

    The table of contents is chronologically arranged- from patient selection to post op management, to guide surgeons as he goes to the process of treating a hip and knee patient. These include the various approaches, implant selection, pre op and intraop techniques, to postoperative rehabilitation and management of potential complications.

    The content is written formally with citations to recently published researches to back up concepts laid out in the book. It however, maintained a more spontaneous, lively narrative akin to a surgeon managing a hip or knee patient and at the same time, teaching surgeons  technical pearls in hip and knee surgery. What’s more exciting is the book’s anchor on current literature, citing accepted treatment protocols but adapting time tested regional experience to address hip and knee surgery problems in the ASEAN region.

    Another thing I liked about this book is the clarity and simplicity to which key concepts are expounded. The chronological progression of concepts, techniques, pearls and management peculiarities makes it easier for the reader to follow the flow of thoughts through the chapters of the book. The authors clearly spent time simplifying concepts to make it really understandable even to the newest surgeon in practice.

    Notable also is the book’s detailed and orderly presentation of techniques. Picture plates of diagnostics, pre op and actual surgeries brought the presentation alive. Since arthroplasty is a very visual field of practice, the reader will gain much by studying the picture plates

    Index is arranged alphabetically with word appearances paged chronologically so it will be easy to find similar concepts appearing in the different chapters of the book.

    All in all this is a well written, collated, well presented textbook for ASEAN hip and knee surgeons. It succeeded in compiling hip and knee arthroplasty concepts from well known experts in the region. It also succeeded in elucidating current treatment protocols , combining that with the ASEAN experience, to create a hip and knee textbook tailored made for the ASEAN hip and knee surgeons and their patients!

    The Comprehensive Hip and Knee Textbook 1st Edition was edited by Aree Tanavalee, Christopher Scott Mow, Azlina Amir Abbas, Gregorio Marcelo Santos Azores, Nicolaas Cyrillus budhiparama and Ngai nung Lo. It was produced by the ASEAN Arthroplasty Association and The Hip and Knee Society. It was first published in Thailand in 2013 by Holistic Publishing co, Ltd. The copyright belongs to The Thai Hip& Knee Society.

    To purchase a copy of the book in the Philippines, please contact Elizabeth Fullente, secretary Department of Orthopedics, UP-PGH. 

  • The curious case of patient’s (or parts of them) photos on social media

    Years ago I amputated the right leg of my first ever explosives maimed patient. In my angst of the cruelty this man has suffered, I posted a photo of that amputated leg on social media.  I was careful not to put any identifying marks on the photo. I cannot even identify what extremity it was in that photo. I asked permission from the patient too although I doubt it if the person knew what social media is at that time. I was hoping that the brutality of the image would rally people against this type of cruelty. Desperate me maybe, but good intentions nonetheless.

    In less than 24 hours, I had more cursing people (at the cruelty) than I expected. I also got more than two inquiries asking who’s leg(?) it was in the photo. Great! I got the desired rallying effect I wanted.  And more. The inquiries made me pull out the photo less than 24 hours after posting.

    In today’s contracting, interconnected space, it is very difficult to hide an identity on the net.  It is even more difficult on social media. Posting photos on social media and hoping no one would identify it next to impossible Someone will eventually find out the identity of the picture, patient or whatever you posted on the net. Even corpses get identified.  From the story above, I realized its such a folly  to hide behind consents, disclaimers , non-identifying smokescreens and post on social media to further an agenda, no matter how good or noble you think it is.

    This story comes to mind again after seeing not a few unmarked, non identifiable, patient (or patient parts) on my social media feed. I am sad, well squirmish actually . But I’m not here to proselytize. I’m just saying that as a medical professional in areas where identities of your patient could spell out death to other people (sometimes yours), would you still post those pictures on social media? In an ever evolving interconnected and permanent internet, will consent and disclaimers  give us freedom to post pictures of patients on social media, no matter how unidentifiable that image is?

    Join us this Saturday January 17, 2015 9PM as we tackle yet, again patient confidentiality and privacy on social media.

    • T1.  Under what circumstances would you consider posting a photo of a patient on a social media acceptable? Explain.
    • T2. Under what circumstances would you allow a healthcare professional to post a picture of you on social media acceptable? Explain.
    • T3. How can we  hold healthcare professionals accountable for posting patient photos on social media?

  • How Social Media is shaping health care response to typhoon ravaged communities

    latestMTSAT

    During previous typhoons in the Philippines, particularly typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), social media made an impact and changed the way we handle disaster and rehabilitation. People searched for unaccounted relatives and friends from all communication channels,  including social media. Typhoon updates and relief efforts were posted on social media sites. Comments and issues affecting post typhoon rehabilitation are played over social media sites. The country has a front line seat of what’s s happening before, during and after typhoon partly because of social media.  Healthcare, which played a major role in the aftermath, has had a big boost from social media.

    There were attempts at geo mapping medical personnel, healthcare institution and evacuation sites using social media tools-maps, tweets etc. Most of the healthcare and relief missions rallied and recruited volunteers from social media campaigns. The much needed medical supplies and support personnel somehow got bolstered by calls from social media sites. There was a frenzy of healthcare related activities and  medical mission on social media. Seemingly random and unorganised, its undeniable social media made a great impact on post typhoon missions and rehabilitation.

    Facing another super typhoon at our doorsteps, we enjoined our colleagues globally to help us harness social media as a tool for survival in a typhoon prone healthcare system of the Philippines.

    • T1: How can social media help prepare a healthcare system prior to a typhoon?
    • T2: Is there a role for social media healthcare during the onslaught of a typhoon?
    • T3: How can social media healthcare help rehabilitate a “damaged” community?

    We look forward tweet chatting you all on December 6, 2014 around 9:00Pm Manila time as we monitor Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) during its passage in the Philippines.

  • Innovations that could impact rural health care

    Innovations in healthcare are often concentrated in urban areas. This left the rural residents facing challenges much bigger than their urban counterparts. Although there’s no accurate data to show differences in healthcare delivery systems between rural and urban communities in the Philippines, health statistics paints a grim picture of healthcare in less urbanized regions of the Philippines.

    Residents of rural regions in the Philippines are more impoverished and in worse health than their urban counterpart. Why is this so? The challenges faced by rural residents accessing healthcare facilities is humungous. Healthcare personnel serving rural communities continue to dwindle and are ironically migrating to highly urbanized areas of the country.

    Despite these humungous challenges, hope beacons because of some unique qualities inherent in rural communities in the Philippines. These are community traits and characteristics that could inspire innovations in healthcare to work in solving these problems. For example, health stakeholders in rural communities have demonstrated a highly social and collaborative culture. Local resourcefulness is also a main driving factor towards creation of innovative approach to provisions of healthcare- like the highly trained baranggay health care workers.

    With such information in mind, help #HealthXPh in finding innovations or technologies that could help us improve healthcare delivery in the rural areas of the Philippines. As a guide, please refer or classify your innovations under any of these categories:

    • INNOVATIONS THAT IMPROVE COLLABORATION
    • INNOVATIONS THAT IMPROVE ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND INFORMATION SHARING
    • INNOVATIONS THAT IMPROVE ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE
    • INNOVATIONS THAT IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY

    Join our chat this coming Saturday November 8, 2014 9PM Manila time as we discuss innovations in healthcare that will impact rural communities.

    • T1: What innovation(s) in healthcare would apply to health systems in rural Philippines?
      T2: In this innovation you suggested, how do you maintain or increase patient engagement?
      T3: How would you measure impact of such innovations to healthcare in rural Philippines?

    Resources:

    Overview of Health Sector Reform in the Philippines and Possible Opportunities For Public-Private Partnerships

    http://www.doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/3%20Chapter1.pdf

    http://www.wpro.who.int/philippines/areas/health_systems/financing/philippines_health_system_review.pdf

    http://www.ictedge.org/wah-ph

    http://www.crsprogramquality.org/storage/pubs/health/Health-innovations-microscopy2.pdf

    http://www.pids.gov.ph/index2.php?pr=156