Cast & Curious

Tag: education

  • Nudges: Motivations for Social Media Success in Healthcare.

    “Breaking down barriers to information sharing should be humanity’s collective goal, not building sand castle monuments to our achievement”- Hogan and Winter (2017)

    “Social media is just hype, a fad. It will die a natural death soon.”- Anonymous

    I’ve been blogging on five different niches since 2007. I’m advocating improving medical education, patient care, sustainable ecotourism, social innovation and research on social media. Ten years is a stretch considering how fast social media and other online tools appear on our screens. An audit of “accomplishments” with social media, should be in place right?

    “What do you get from using social media? Help people? Advance your career? Earn money?”

    Defining success in any field is never an easy task. Measuring the impact of a tool (such as social media) to that success, is even harder. If we define success as an observable change in a person or a society however, success is measurable.  It follows then that the indispensable tools impacting these changes are also measurable.

    Why am I asking these questions? Humans tend to replicate their successes and learn from their mistakes. The social, political and even economic changes we see in the 21st century occurred with the help of social media. Even healthcare, which is resistant to change, gave way to social pressures vis a vis social media.  We should be able to measure the impact of a tool to that change.  Or keep trying. 

    What’s more important to me was my motivation behind social media use.

    T1: “Did social media helped in the success of my healthcare advocacy?”

    I culled my ten years of social media practice into a series of blog post outlining how to’s of “successful social media campaigns”.  I went further with moderating chats on the impact of social media to a HCP’s clinical excellence here. The SMART metrics I outlined here seem superfluous from a healthcare professional’s perspective, but it sure did help.

    This comment by van der Linden (2017) in Nature suggest deeper engagements with both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations for social media advocacies. He suggested the reason for why advocacies last longer than viral hype.  Extrinsic motivation like the social pressures mentioned by Linden in his SMART chart below, explains the viral but short lived success of some of advocacies.

    The SMART chart by van der Linden

    This lead me to another question:

    T2: “What were my motivation(s) for using social media in a successful advocacy?”

    I looked back at some of my social media advocacies. I had varied motivations ranging from socially- desirable pledges of helping out a community, to a more intrinsic, personal ones like “learning this or that”. If I use the more extrinsic criteria like the SMART chart, I probably flunked. Medical education and patient care still needs improvement. Ecotourism is far from sustainable. Social innovations still languish and researches fail to pass even the lab doors. I can count a few more learning points from such failures but what I could not reconcile is this:

    I am still here. I’m still using social media to further advocacies- mine or someone else’s. Many of my social media friends and colleagues from the past went on to some other endeavours. Others stayed and pushed forward advocacies I can only dreamed of. This got me thinking:

    T3: “What made me/us stick to using social media for our successful advocacies?”

    Van der Linden  pointed some interesting observations. Intrinsic motivations favor more lasting and sustainable social media campaigns, along with a “yearly, recurrent event or behaviour”. I can think of the latter as akin to our weekly social media tweet chat and annual summit at #HealthXPh. The tweet chat and annual summit bound us for years.

    The intrinsic motivation is well, deeply engaging for me. “Selfish” if you think of it as pushing a personal agenda. This is however the same personal agenda, that magic that happened to many healthcare professionals I look up to professionally nowadays.

    The internet and social media made lifelong learning readily possible for me. Apart from breaking geographic, cultural and financial barriers, lifelong learning (though internet and social media) pushed both my professional and academic development, forward. I probably couldn’t quantify how much social media helped me, but I can’t imagine learning now if I have not.

    Indeed medical education needs further improvements. Social media though allowed me to expand the depth and girth of my medical knowledge beyond the halls of institutions, the paywalls of journals and the monopolies first world medicine and education. I’m learning not only from my patients but from others who share their experiences online. You help patients and colleagues beyond your limited medical/surgical skills could offer. I can name a few dozen academic and advocacy headaches that have yet to be solved even with social media around. But those I did? Those wouldn’t be possible without social media and the internet.

    Thanks to technology, we never stopped learning. To better quantify its contribution, we should have thought about success in and using social media for advocacies ten years ago. That’s the best time to adapt, in the field of medicine, healthcare and where ever applicable. The second best time is now.

    Join us this Saturday September 22 9PM Manila time for an exciting #HealthXPh tweet chat discussion on motivations for social media success in healthcare. These are our guide questions:

    • T1: “Did social media helped in the success of my healthcare advocacy?”
    • T2: “What were my motivation(s) of using social media for an advocacy?”
    • T3: “What made me/us stick to using social media for our successful advocacies?”

     

    References:

    Aguilar, R. (2016, April 29). Part IV: Assigning SMART metrics to social media channels [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://remomd.com/social-media/assigning-metrics-social-media-channel.html

    Aguilar, R. (2017, March 11). Metric Matrix: How should we measure the impact of social media on clinical excellence? [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://remomd.com/social-media/assigning-metrics-social-media-channel.html

    van der Linden, S. (n.d.). The future of behavioral insights: On the importance of socially situated nudges. Behavioural Public Policy, 1-11. doi:10.1017/bpp.2018.22

    van der Linden, S. (2017a), ‘The nature of viral altruism and how to make it stick’, Nature Human Behaviour, 1. 10.1038/s41562-016-0041.

    Hogan, A. M., & Winter, D. C. (2017). Changing the Rules of the Game: How Do We Measure Success in Social Media? Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery, 30(4), 259–263. http://doi.org/10.1055/s-0037-1604254

  • Social media in healthcare education, inclusion or just distraction?

    Social media is pervasive, even in healthcare. As an early adopter, I witnessed how social media went mainstream as it integrates into our lives. I’ve also been a witness to the many challenges and opportunities social media presents as it slowly encroaches into the silos of our daily lives.

    My struggle though is not always about social media integration or the technical skills needed to do so. I have have always been preoccupied on how social media could or should enhance my learning- to reflective thinking rather than just information, knowledge more than opinion and in healthcare, clinical and patient skills rather than textbook regurgitations.

    In #HealthXPh, we’ve previously discussed why social media is of value to healthcare. We’ve tackled how social media is used as a tool to enhance education and build interactivity to our traditional learning styles. Social media has shown promise in areas  collaborative learning using user generated materials while creating meaningful engagements in the healthcare sector.

    There are stinging questions to the value social media in educating healthcare or would be healthcare professionals. Would incorporating social media in healthcare education really improve the knowledge, attitudes, values and skills, of future healthcare professionals?

    There were studies that tries to understand the challenges and opportunities of  incorporating healthcare social media in their medical curriculum. But the “infancy” of social media and the lack of rigorous controlled studies eludes a clear answer at this moment. The answer to these questions ( if ever it could be answered) may be found in the next generation of healthcare professionals.

    In spite these issues, healthcare institutions abroad began incorporating healthcare social media in their learning curriculum. In the Philippines, social media healthcare is not in any medical or healthcare curriculum. Why? Why are current healthcare students taking social media seriously?

    When asked, most nursing and medical students would answer, “I have no time for such”.  If it’s not included in the curriculum we’re not going to spend time learning it. Surely if our medical educators didn’t include it in our curriculum, they probably didn’t find any value for it in our education” .

    I’m not an expert in healthcare education, but I do understand the problems besetting an institution in training future healthcare professionals. Identifying what’s important to the KAVS learning of healthcare students is difficult enough, incorporating a complex, learning resource such as social media doesn’t make it easier, at least to most healthcare educators that I know. It would take a generation of physicians to find that out.

    I have a balance of views regarding inclusion of social media in the healthcare curriculum. But, if we don’t bring the discussion now, we may never find out in the next generation of healthcare professionals.

    Join us this Saturday August 8, 2015 9PM as we discuss the value of healthcare social media in medical education. Is it a distinction or just a distraction?

    • T1: Should healthcare social media be included in medical/healthcare curriculum? Why or why not?
    • T2: What are the challenges and opportunities in incorporating social media in our healthcare curriculum?
    • T3. How do you measure the impact of incorporating social media into the healthcare professional’s education?

    As a closing thought (CT) please give an area in the education of future healthcare professionals, where social media has the most / least impact.

    Resources:

    McGowan BS, Wasko M, Vartabedian BS, Miller RS, Freiherr DD, Abdolrasulnia M
    Understanding the Factors That Influence the Adoption and Meaningful Use of Social Media by Physicians to Share Medical Information
    J Med Internet Res 2012;14(5):e117
    URL: http://www.jmir.org/2012/5/e117
    DOI: 10.2196/jmir.2138
    PMID: 23006336
    PMCID: PMC3510763
    http://www.eventscribe.com/2015/ACEHPAnnual/assets/pdf/142420.pdf

    Kind T, Genrich G, Sodhi A, Chretien KC. Social media policies at US medical schools. Medical Education Online. 2010;15:10.3402/meo.v15i0.5324. doi:10.3402/meo.v15i0.5324.

  • Jan 4, 2014 #HealthXPh Tweet Chat and Hangout on Air Topic Responses

    It was a happy day of surprises for the #HealthXPh community as it officially launched the tweet chat and Google Hangout as platforms for health collaboration. For a community less than a month old, #HealthXPh’s tweet chat’s upsurge of activity (we hit 560+ impressions!) delighted us to no end. Big thanks to our friends and colleagues at #hcldr and the Filipino physicians for supporting the launching of tweet chat.

    The live tweet chat started on time while a hangout (instead of the scheduled Hangout on Air) started some 45 minutes after because of technical difficulties. Once the conversations on hangout rolled however, it snowballed into one live, highly interactive discussion on emerging technologies. We actually went into overtime by some 30minutes or so!

    Since we’re utilizing all medium as a platform for collaboration,  I’m answering the questions/topics in a blog post, here in my blog.

    [box style=”yellow question shadow” ]

    T1. What is #HealhXPh for core collaborators?[/box]

    HealthXPh is an enabling platform of collaboration for all the healthcare stakeholders -physicians, patients, healthcare institutions, academe and policy makers in the Philippines. It will engage all of these stakeholders to take a more active role in owning issues that affect their health. It aims to give stakeholders a new tool to increase reach beyond what mainstream media can in the discussions about health.

    [box style=”yellow question shadow” ]

    T2. What emerging technologies do you find important and relevant in healthcare?[/box]

    The mobile sms because of its reach and widespread use in the Philippines is still on top of these emerging technologies. With adaptation and maximization of its use to further healthcare programs and discussions is of great potential for an archipelagic country like the Philippines. I currently use sms to remind some of my distantly located patients of their follow -up schedule and specialist referrals.

    Social media also plays an important role for me in my clinical practice. This is mainly for patient education and collaboration with fellow physicians. I get queries from potential patients on facebook, twitter and sometimes Google+. All my social media interactions are aimed at encouraging patients to see a physician personally for their health questions and concerns.  While facebook and twitter may have the farthest reach,  I’m particularly interested with Google+ and all the app services attached to it. It’s potential as a platform for use to health is enormous. Most of these services, is free. Of course, blogging is an effective social media platform to further healthcare discussions and raise awareness. I’ve been blogging since 2006 and that spurred my interest into social media as a platform for collaboration in health!

    I do not consider email as an emerging technology nowadays but for the past decade, it has been a great tool for me in health. Research, training, discussions, updates, and lately to communicate with patients has all been quite a success.

    [box style=”yellow question shadow” ]

    T3 What do you think are the obstacles to the use of emerging technologies in healthcare?[/box]

    Many healthcare stakeholders in the Philippines adapt slowly to emerging technologies when it comes to health. Technical knowhow seem to be an apparent stumbling block. However, if you observe the use of emerging technologies in other segments of our society- business, entertainment and politics, this stumbling block seem negligible. Socially this is can be tied up to a bigger, more fundamental reality to Filipino’s priorities. Health and all other services attached to it, remains low on our priority scale. This is the behavior we wanted to change. With social media as a platform, #HealthXPh could hopefully effect a positive behavioral change to all stakeholders for a collaboration on health.

    Closing Thought (CT): What’s one thing you’ve learned in todays discussion that you can take to your place of influence to help a patient or colleague tomorrow?

    Foremost in my intention is to enlighten interested colleagues and patients regarding social media use in healthcare. Enlighten primarily mean allaying fears of physicians regarding social media usage and issues. The other is to come up with simpler “1-2-3  how to steps” for adapting to some social media tools they can use.

    Thanks to all those who joined and supported #HealthXPh tweetchat and Hangout on Air launch. See you again next week!

    [box style=”green info shadow” ]#HealthXPh tweet chat and Google Hangout on Air happens every Saturday 10 am Manila time (UTC +8 hours). Join the #HealthXPh community on Google Plus, facebook group, like our FB page and on twitter discussions using #HealthXPh hashtag. Subscribe to the HealthXPh blog (www.healthxph.net)  for more updates on email  and your RSS feeds.[/box]

  • 10 Financial Tips for Medical Students

    Pursuing a career in medicine is one topic I’m often asked during career talks and speaking engagements. Most questions under this topic fall into distinct but interdependent subgroup of questions  known as the “what”, “when”, “where” and “how”.  A few dared ask the “why”. Surprisingly, majority of the few  who asked the “why”  we’re already doctors !

    Here’s one question posted in the comment section of a post in this blog. 

    Hi, I’m Ian Patrick from Pampanga, I really would like to become a doctor since the day I graduated nursing in 2008. My father decided to loan our 1.7 hectare land for me to pursue the degree. I would like to ask for any suggestion where or what type of bank can we go to, or is there other option other than going to banks here in the Philippines. I really would like to go to med school and I think this is the only way for me and my family to generate money. Thank you.

    As far a I know, you can sell a parcel of land to most banks and use the money to finance your medical education. The process of selling land varies from one bank to another. You can directly ask banks of these processes but make sure you have the necessary documents for your parcel of land. Selling properties to a bank is tedious, would take some time ( valuation-market assessment-actual sale) and may not yield the highest amount you expect from the sell of your land. Taxes and fees for this transaction should also be considered.

    Selling the land to third parties without legal business identities is also risky. I’m not aware of any bank that accept a parcel of land as collateral to subsidize a medical education. I would not advise you to use your land as a collateral for a personal loan because the interest rates are usually sky high. My family tried this and was only able to fully pay the debt 20 years after. The interest we paid is five times the initial loaned amount!

    I hope this answers your question Patrick.

    To help out Patrick and (potential) medical students who are roughly in the same circumstances as he is, here are financial tips that will save you some expense during med school.

    1. Choose a quality medical school with the least tuition fees. Many state colleges and universities in the Philippines have medical schools that are at par or even better than some private medical schools.
    2. Choose a medical school located within or near your place or potential place of practice. Saves you the lodging and transportation expenses.
    3. Choose a medical school located in an area where the cost of living is relatively cheaper. Regional state colleges and universities have medical schools too.
    4. Get a scholarship, if you can. Or if the scholarship is some sort of study now pay later scheme, choose the one that offers a “pay out” maximum of 1:2 ratio (e.g. 1 year of study equivalent to two years of service). A ratio larger than that is typically costly when you look at the expense -payment ratio. (±300%)!
    5. Never sell or loan every asset your family have  and hope you’d be able to pay this right after you graduate medicine. Yes, you will have a job right after med school but I doubt it that would be even enough to even buy you your own car.
    6. Borrow books if you can. Avoid buying books that will probably have another edition in 3-5 years. Maximize your library card! This will push you to efficiently study and maximize reading time.
    7. I do not recommend marrying during med school, unless of course you’re marrying a millionaire who would subsidize your medical education. A wedding will cost you at least a semester of medical education expense! What’s five years of waiting anyway when you’re too busy hurdling exams and duty schedules?
    8. Get a job during summer breaks and add that income to your medical education’s fund!  Just don’t do part time jobs during med school proper or it will wreak havoc on your grades. Take that from me :).
    9. Join a like minded group of medical students that offer possibilities of sharing resources in med school like books and instruments . Cut off the partying expense however. Admit it, you’re in med school to study medicine. You may party all you want when you pass the boards.
    10. Finally, never pursue a career in medicine with the monetary income as your primary goal after med school.  You’d be frustrated. Yes, you will have a job and you will not go hungry as a doctor. But if you aim to get into Forbes’ Top 100 Richest People via medicine alone, good luck.

    You have to finish “doctor of medicine” degree from a recognised medical school and pass the Professional Regulations Commission’s licensure exam to practice medicine in the Philippines.  Then you have to decide on what path will you take in the vast field of medicine. Are you going to be a general practitioner? A community physician? A public health physician? or take further training for specialization? This will definitely entail additional trainings depending on the field or niche you decide to practice. Still other fields require specialty board exams to fully practice that field. I’m outlining these, because these are the first few tangible short term goals you should have if you are eyeing a career in medicine. All financial considerations must be tailored efficiently towards achieving these goals. Any expense that is not contributing to achieving these goals should be stripped off your “budget” and realigned to your medical education fund!

    If you have reactions or additional tips to offer, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment in this post.

     

  • Should health care professionals in developing countries have a social media presence?

    The short answer is yes, they  should. Consider this:

    The Philippines, a developing country, is the social networking capital of the world. It tops the list of nations who uses Facebook. Or before Facebook, Philippines also topped the list of nations using Friendster.

    1. Philippines
    > Facebook: 93.9%
    > Twitter: 16.1%
    > LinkedIn: 1.9%
    > Internet Use: 29.7%

    Social network penetration is incredibly high in the Philippines, reaching 95%.  Facebook is the country’s most popular website, more so than Google, and has a penetration rate of 93.9%.  The Philippines is also the eighth most popular country for Twitter use on a global scale, with a penetration rate of 16.1%.  The popularity of photo sharing has increased by 46% in the country in one year, largely due to Facebook.  Social networking is so popular among Filipinos, the country has been nicknamed “The Social Networking Capital of the World.” –The Ten Nations Where Facebook Rules the Internet | 24/7 Wall Street

    Infographic from this site ( http://internacionalmagazine.com/2011/03/comscore-has-crowned-philippines-as-the-world%E2%80%99s-heaviest-users-of-facebook/1490/

    Also, most of the other nations in the list are developing countries in Latin America and South East Asia. These  social media platforms are good mediums for health education and should augment health drives using traditional media.

    Medical information through the internet is readily available and fast. Most of informed patients nowadays get their medical information through the internet. Also, most of this informed patients (or their relatives, guardians etc.) also maintain a social media presence in facebook, twitter or in a blog. The multiplier effect of posting it on your facebook profile is just way beyond that can be achieve by traditonal means, like books.

    Interactivity is fast, patient questions can be addressed rapidly and doubts can be clarified and , it is a good jumping off for a “real” clinic consult. The potential for  improving physician-patient relationship and interactions using social media is enormous. Not taking on this opportunity simply deprive the already shortchanged health education in developing nations.

    Is this enough reason for you to act now and have your social media presence be felt?