Technological Innovation in the OR at UCD

Watch the video below to see how technological innovation has helped a former Redding resident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwDvgFrbY5w&sns=em

Ten Tips to Assure the Reliability of Health Care Info on the Net

1.                          One should first see who the author is.  The author should be clearly identified and contact information should be readily available. The IT team should also be available for technical difficulties. If this information is unavailable, the source may not be reliable.
2.                       Use more than one source. If several sites offer the same information when compared, the information is likely accurate. A site that produces its own content is more reliable than one that copies and pastes information from another source.
3.                            Sites that claim to be the only resource with all the facts on a certain topic should raise suspicion, especially if they are trying to sell a product. Sites that try to discredit other sources have a tendency to be unreliable. Tresca states that the adage "if it seems to good to be true, it probably is," is particularly true in these cases.
4.                        Reputable physicians do not diagnose and treat patients over the Internet. Question and answer columns from health care providers are popular and provide access to good information but should not be a substitute for a physical exam with a physician.
5.             Look for web sites that are maintained and updated regularly. Medicine and health care is constantly changing as new research is published, and information goes out of date quickly. What was considered a fact even a few years ago may now have been proven to be false.
6.                            Be aware of bias. Some companies’ content may be bias toward a product they are selling. 
7.                      Credible sites will provide links to their information source. Content will be plainly labeled. Facts and figures will be backed up by sources such as research papers or government reports. Again, pay attention to who the researcher is. If the source of the research is the company who is trying to sell the product, beware.
8.                       Know the privacy policy of the site. If asked for health information, find out why it is needed, will it be shared and if the site is secure.
9.                   If personal experiences are shared, one needs to decide if the information is opinion or fact.  Sharing of personal experiences can be helpful, but testimonials and opinions should be clearly labeled and not confused with fact.
10.                Use common sense. If an individual is uncertain of the information, they should follow their instinct.

Tresca, Amber J.  (2011, June). Finding reliable health information on the internet

learn how to spot the frauds, fakes and snake oil salesmen. About.com

Retrieved November 25, 2011f from http://ibdcrohns.about.com/od/mentalhealth/tp/Finding-Reliable-Health-Information-On-The-Internet.htm

 

Thieves Regularly Target Medical Data

November 20, 2011

Today in our local newspaper, there was an article taken from Associated Press in Sacramento entitled “Thieves regularly target medical data” written by Don Thompson and Marcus Wohls. This article referenced the recent theft of a computer from a major Northern California health care provider containing information on more than 4 million patients. The organization states that the computer was password protected, but the patient data was not encrypted. “Had this data been en­crypted, you and I wouldn’t be having this discussion. It would be a nonissue,” said Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit consumer education and advocacy organization based in Sacramento. Though encrypting patient information is “highly recommended” by the federal government, Verizon health care and data security expert Dr. Peter Tippett said the health care industry lags the financial and high-tech industries by 10 to 15 years when it comes to protecting personal data. “Overall the health care system needs a lot of work at being more secure,” Tippett said.


This article states that organizations within the healthcare industry have reported 364 incidents of lost or stolen information involving nearly 18 million patients in the past 2 years. 

Since federal health care data breach notification rules took effect in 2009, Health and Human Services records show that the recent Northern California incident was exceeded only when the U.S. military’s health insurance program lost backup tapes in September containing information on more than 4.9 million patients.

So, how secure is patient information in your organization??? 

Using Social Media and Apps to Build a Cancer Community

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RErHskitjUI

Physician-Patient Relationships in Second Life

Welcome to Second Life. Second Life is an online virtual world that allows users to interact with each other through avatars. These avatars can explore the world, participate in activities, purchase virtual real estate, shop and much more. In 2011, there are about 1 million active users of Second Life. There are a variety of uses for Second Life, so how can Second Life accommodate the physician-patient relationship?

I believe that one of the foremost uses of Second Life in a physician-patient relationship is that of providing education and/or information in an interactive environment, in real life time without waiting for a response via email, a returned phone call or an office visit. The advantage to second life relationships is that emotions can be curtailed if this is something that the patient wishes to conceal. There are no biases or judgment involved based on appearances, personalities or hesitation on the part of the patient due to embarrassment. There is a ‘safe” environment for disclosure where the patient can maintain anonymity if so desired.

Another advantageous use of Second Life is for education. An instructor can create a presentation that is very life like and can be created once and used over and over. I found the hallucination presentation in Second Life offered a very real, empathetic understanding of a disease that I would not have been able to understand on the same level as I have after the Second Life experience.

The downside is that setting up an account, creating an Avatar and learning to maneuver in Second Life takes time and practice and is not for everyone. I see younger generations taking to this and those of us who are “techies”. I also see this as beneficial for distance education or communication. At this point, I believe there is a small portion of the population that would use this media to communicate with their physician, and I believe even fewer physicians who would take the time to learn, create and take advantage of what Second Life could offer. I do appreciate the opportunity to complete a course or obtain a degree online and I certainly look forward to reviewing my test results online and communicating with my healthcare provider via email. I just feel that second life might take a little longer to catch on. I also feel that you need to have had physical connection with the provider first so that you know to whom you are really trusting your healthcare to. I think telemedicine might catch on must quicker.

Of course I am very new to Second Life and have had limited experience as an avatar so my opinion is limited as well. I would have liked to have been introduced to Second Life and this subject while working on my Masters. I think I would have liked to complete my thesis around the topic of Second Life and physician-patient relationships. 

Governor Signs Healthcare Bills

This week Governor Jerry Brown signed various health care bills into law ahead of a midnight Sunday deadline. The following are a just few of the 140 that Brown signed.  

• Ø  One of the bills was designed to protect teenagers from skin cancer by making it illegal for teenagers younger than 18 to use tanning beds. California will be the first state to impose such a law. Currently, using tanning beds is illegal in California for those 14 and under, but teens ages 15-17 can tan with their parents’ permission. Public Health officials praised this decision quoting the statistic released by The Indoor Tanning Association that states 5% to10% of its customers are younger than 18. The bill, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2012, was also supported by the American Cancer Society.

• Ø  A second law is designed to protect teenagers from sexually transmitted diseases, allowing children as young as 12 to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV), without the consent of their parents. HPV is the leading the cause of cervical cancer. This topic has been hotly debated in the recent Republican presidential race. Public Health officials applaud the Governor for this decision claiming that it will slow the spread of disease among minors. Conservative politicians, pro-family organizations, and religious leaders are concerned about the loss of parents' rights to make decisions about their children's health. Currently, in California, minors are allowed access to confidential care for contraception, pregnancy, mental health care and drug abuse treatments.

• Ø  
Brown vetoed one health care bill which would have required extra warnings for the 40 
percent of women over 40 who have breast tissue dense enough to mask or mimic cancers on mammograms. Brown reportedly debated whether the warning was “a path to greater knowledge or unnecessary anxiety.”

• Ø  Another bill signed by the Governor was the safe patient handling law This bill would require an employer to maintain a safe patient handling policy for patient care units, and to provide trained lift teams or staff trained in safe lifting techniques in each general acute care hospital.  The safe patient handling policy would require the replacement of manual lifting and transferring of patients with powered patient transfer devices, lifting devices, or lift teams.  

• Ø  Governor Jerry Brown signed the Telehealth Advancement Act of 2011, opening the door for far-reaching expansion of telehealth services in California. This bill recognizes the importance of telehealth in providing access to health care, this bill was supported by the state’s telehealth stakeholders and leaders and passed with no opposing votes in the legislature. The California State Rural Health Association (CSRHA) sponsored this bill in worked collaboration with the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP), the California Telemedicine and eHealth Center (CTEC), the California Telehealth Network (CTN) and many other health care organizations in the state.

• Ø  The governor also approved measures that required health insurers to provide coverage for autism and vetoed bills to legalize industrial hemp and to ban the practice of shackling pregnant inmates.

What are your thoughts on these issues???

Cyber Attacks in U.S. on Utilities, Industries Rise

Today, Sept 30th, there was an article in our local paper describing the increasing number of cyber break-ins on U.S. utilities and other industries by attackers using very sophisticated methods.

The world's utilities and industries are apparently connecting equipment to global networks and as a result are becoming quite vulnerable. The article stated that the number of private organizations asking Homeland Security Department for help has increased from 57 last year to 81 so far this year.

Introduction

Hello, I have created this blog as part of an assignment for a class I am enrolled in at UC Davis - Internet and the Future of Patient Care. I look forward to discussions and the sharing of ideas and information regarding current issues and strategies around today's Healthcare Informatics.