MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'information therapy'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:23:36 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181943&cid=t_171109_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F09%2Fwhere-are-indian-medical-entrepreneurs.html The Indian healthcare industry has become sick and disruptive innovations are needed to heal it ! This is a huge business opportunity . We need to remember that healthcare spending in India today accounts for less than 4.2% of the GDP, whereas in most developed countries it is 6-9% and in the USA it is as much as 16%. This means there is immense growth potential in India in this sector ! Since doctors deal with patients daily, and see the problems and pain points firsthand, one would expect them to be leaders in creating fixes to heal the system. However, they are very few medical entrepreneurs in India today . I feel there are many reasons for this. For one, doctors are part of the problem themselves ! They are so used to making patients wait, that they don’t even realize that this u... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181943 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:58:00 +0100 5181943 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181945&cid=t_171109_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fhow-to-do-consultation-3-step-approach.html I was giving an infertile couple a tour of our IVF lab. The husband was a cardiologist and he was marveling over how complex IVF is . He knows I am a big believer in Information Therapy, and he started wondering aloud how I could explain something so intricate, involved and complex as IVF in a 15 min consultation. I explained that I have a standard three-stage format for doing a consultation. In step number one , I explain normal fertility - how babies are made when everything is working properly. I review normal anatomy and physiology ; the role of the cervical mucus and the fallopian tubes; the concept of the fertile time; when ovulation occurs and how to track this; and the importance of frequent intercourse to maximize normal fertility. This is a review of the basics , just to make su... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181945 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 04:19:00 +0100 5181945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174691&cid=t_171109_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fhow-to-do-consultation-3-step-approach.html I was giving an infertile couple a tour of our IVF lab. The husband was a cardiologist and he was marveling over how complex IVF is . He knows I am a big believer in Information Therapy, and he started wondering aloud how I could explain something so intricate, involved and complex as IVF in a 15 min consultation. I explained that I have a standard three-stage format for doing a consultation. In step number one , I explain normal fertility - how babies are made when everything is working properly. I review normal anatomy and physiology ; the role of the cervical mucus and the fallopian tubes; the concept of the fertile time; when ovulation occurs and how to track this; and the importance of frequent intercourse to maximize normal fertility. This is a review of the basics , just to make su... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174691 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 04:19:00 +0100 5174691 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159258&cid=t_171109_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fhow-can-we-get-patients-to-take-more.html It's extremely easy to criticize doctors for the sad state of health care today. Most patients are very articulate about the fact that their doctor spends very little time with them ; that he makes them wait unnecessarily for long hours ; and that he provides them with precious little information about their illness. This causes a lot of heartburn and frustration ; and many people believe that doctors are now behaving more like businessman rather than professionals. While there may be some truth in this criticism , it is also equally true that doctors are soft and easy targets. In fact , the press has played a major role in bashing doctors , and while it's true that stories about unethical doctors who indulge in corrupt acts help them to sell more newspapers , sadly all these stories also... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159258 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 04:38:00 +0100 5159258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050775&cid=t_171109_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fwhy-do-doctors-give-kickbacks-and-whats.html It's very easy for people to moralise and wax eloquent about the declining standards of ethics and morality amongst doctors in India today. However, rather than blame individuals or the medical profession, I think we need to focus on finding a solution.This is my viewpoint.Individually, most doctors are good people. They enter medicine because they want to be of service to others - and most are intelligent, conscientious, idealistic and hardworking when they enter medical college.However, as time goes by, they gradually become cynical and bitter. There are few positive role models they can look upto - and when they see their seniors indulge in unethical practises, they are quite resigned to toeing the party line. After all, how can you fight the "system" ? In India, isn't everyone corrupt,... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050775 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 03:24:00 +0100 5050775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4852963&cid=t_171109_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fpromoting-information-therapy-in-india.html The Indian healthcare system has become sick. Doctors are illness experts –not healthcare experts . India just cannot keep up with the increasing demands the ever growing population puts on the healthcare infrastructure . The only effective solution is to empower everyone in the healthcare ecosystem with Information Therapy . The right information at the right time for the right person can be powerful medicine !However, this is still a very new concept in India. When people talk about the problems facing healthcare in India, the focus is primarily on the shortage of doctors – and how we need to invest more money in training new doctors. While opening new medical colleges is very profitable for politicians ( which is why they do this all the time), this does not address the underlying i... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4852963 Mon, 23 May 2011 03:25:00 +0100 4852963 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4848012&cid=t_171109_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F05%2Flost-in-health-information-maze.html 50 years ago, the major problem was that patients had too little information. All of this was locked up in medical books and journals, and this information asymmetry meant that the patient was often forced to put the doctor on a pedestal, because he had all the knowledge. Patients felt helpless because they did not know enough.Today, there's been a sea change, and patients still feel helpless - but this is because they have access to too much information - most of which is wrong, inaccurate or outdated ! Thanks to google, it's become very easy for patients to unearth thousands of pages of information on any topic - but because this information is badly organised and is not put in context, patients find it easy to get lost.It's very common to find two 2 different websites saying diametrical... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4848012 Fri, 20 May 2011 03:21:00 +0100 4848012 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4829020&cid=t_171109_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fdr-malpani-should-i-complain-about-my.html Every doctor wants to see his patients get better. After all, one of the major reasons people choose to become doctors is that they have a strong urge to heal and help others. Medicine is the ultimate service profession, and because it's a direct one-on-one relationship, good doctors devote a lot of their time and energy in keeping their patients happy.It also make a lot of business sense to do so. Patients who are happy are the best source of new patients ! Word of mouth marketing is the best was of growing a practise for doctors , and doctors understand the value of this.This is why happy patients make for happy doctors !Unfortunately, not every patient is going to do well. Medicines do not always work and the human body can be fickle. This is especially true in IVF cycles, when the outc... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4829020 Mon, 16 May 2011 02:35:00 +0100 4829020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775446&cid=t_171109_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fdr-google-is-quack.html When you need information on a health topic, the first thing you are likely to do is a google search. However, you will get fed up and frustrated very soon. Rather than help you find what you need, google will display hundreds of websites, many of which provide information which is outdated, unreliable , dangerous and even downright wrong ! You will just get confused and may end up sicker, simply because google has no way of judging how good or bad a medical website is. And as Mark Twain pointed out many years ago - " Be careful when you read a health book - you may die of a misprint !"You need a better way of searching for health information as compared to google ! You need information which has been tested for its reliability and accuracy - knowledge which has been created by experts who... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775446 Mon, 02 May 2011 18:57:00 +0100 4775446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3089232&cid=t_171109_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2009%2F12%2Fmedencentives-five-year-report.html By Matthew Holt As many involved in the worlds of Health 2.0 and Information Therapy know, some of the most interesting experiments in the world of patient-physician engagement have been happening in the somewhat unlikely environs of small town Oklahoma.... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3089232 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3089232 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879377&cid=t_171109_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2009%2F10%2Fhealth-internet---the-new-consumer-friendly-nhin.html By Adrian Gropper Consumer directed HIE will become the most visible aspect of health IT stimulus and could lead a shift to consumer-directed health plans, increased interest in wellness programs and family-centered collaboration for the young, old and seriously ill.... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879377 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2879377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2865756&cid=t_171109_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fhow-librarians-can-help-to-improve.html Librarians are information specialists and can help in providing information therapy to patients. The key is to understanding what their role should be.While they cannot replace the doctor, they can definitely help the patient to become better informed , so he can ask his doctor the right questions ! While google is great, unfortunately many patients cannot find the information they need. Sometimes they do not know what medical words they should be using when doing a search . This is an easy problem for a librarian to fix. He can correct typos; and use the right technical words as keywords when doing a search. Often, patients get lost because there is too much information and they cannot separate the wheat from the chaff. A librarian can provide a guiding hand, and help direct them to reli... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865756 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:52:00 +0100 2865756 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2744068&cid=t_171109_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2009%2F08%2F-innovation-and-absence-of-evidence-vs-evidence-of-absence.html By Joshua Seidman Jon Gabel from the National Opinion Research Center has an excellent op-ed piece in today’s New York Times. The basic argument is summarized in his conclusion: “The Congressional Budget Office’s integrity is beyond questioning. But the record... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2744068 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2744068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2660728&cid=t_171109_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2009%2F07%2Fideo-and-ix-innovation-design.html By ARNA IONESCU Next week Matthew will be in a workshop with the folks from design firm IDEO and our friends from the Ix Center. In preparation we're posting this article from IDEO's Arna Ionescu who was at the recent... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2660728 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2660728 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570453&cid=t_171109_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2009%2F07%2Fcreative-thinking-about-the-cer-agenda.html By JOSHUA SEIDMAN This week the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its list of the top 100 topics that should be addressed in comparative effectiveness research (CER) now — thanks to $1.1 billion in the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570453 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2570453 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2376292&cid=t_171109_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fwhat-to-do-when-doctors-differ.html I just received an email from a very confused patient.I went to two doctors, one is a fertility expert, the other is a gynec and an obstetrician. both have equivalent amount of experience after them, but my question is, when i went to the fertility expert so many problems cropped up, they said u could have a compromised reserve of ovaries, etc.. and fibroids too. but my visit to my family gynec and obstetrician resulted in me coming out with no evident problems, everything was normal and she just prescribed some iron tabs and another tab for some luteal phase. to enhance pregnancy.. we went to the specialist as my husband had to to his semen analysis and we just went in for another consultation to come out super stressed.. what is your opinion Doctor, whom do we believe? a person who says ... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2376292 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:26:00 +0100 2376292 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2376623&cid=t_171109_134_f&fid=34841&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabetesmine.com%2F2009%2F04%2Ftreating-illness-with-information.html Traditionally, a “prescription” meant a piece of paper that got you a vial of pills or other medication you were meant to take until your next meeting with your doctor. Today, health professionals increasingly recognize that LEARNING is part of the prescription -– if you want people to thrive with their condition, that is. The Health [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine) Diabetes Mine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2376623 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:30:54 +0100 2376623 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2357562&cid=t_171109_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fhealth-20-meets-ix.html Due to my own personal budget cuts, I'm unable to attend the Health 2.0 Meets Information Therapy that began today in Boston, but there are plenty of others out there blogging and/or tweeting the event.I'm sure there will be lots of news and lots of hype masquerading as news coming out of that conference. Of note, A.D.A.M. is using the occasion to launch its iPhone app, called the Medzio Mobile Health Network. It's a free download from the Apple App Store.A.D.A.M. showed me a demo of its iPhone version a good six months ago at the fall Health 2.0 Conference in San Francisco. I guess it took this long to work out all the bugs and sign up partners.Meanwhile, coincidentally or not, the Mayo Clinic yesterday finally launched its Mayo Clinic Health Manager project with Microsoft's HealthVault. ... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2357562 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:45:00 +0100 2357562 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2288979&cid=t_171109_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2F9DAVsTKRKA4%2F I recently came across an interesting term that I’d never heard of: Information Therapy. Here’s the wikipedia description of Information Therapy: Information therapy works by engaging the consumer in the process of care. Unlike health information which a patient or family member may find on an open website like webmd or yahoo, information therapy is providing plain language evidence based medical information to a patient at the exact time that a patient needs it to help them in their heatlh care process. An example would be when a person who leaves a doctor’s office is provided an after-visit summary of instructions on how they can take care of their ailment at home. Information therapy may be prescribed by a clinician, (i.e. nurse, doctor or other health professional), b... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2288979 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:48:37 +0100 2288979 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2288505&cid=t_171109_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fwell-informed-patients-boon-or-bane.html I was wondering why more hospitals don't have patient education libraries and why more doctors don't prescribe Information Therapy. After all, this is such a simple, inexpensive way of keeping patients happy; reducing medical costs; and improving patient inflow. I think I have finally figured out the reason after talking to the administrator of a leading hospital in India today.He said, quite candidly, that " well-informed patients can be a pain in the neck " ! And this is when I finally realised that the reality is that most doctors are quite happy keeping their patients as poorly informed as possible, because it's easier to get " compliance" when patients don't ask too many questions. Ignorant patients tend to put doctors on a pedestal - and this is quite a comfortable position to be in,... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2288505 Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:10:00 +0100 2288505 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1253182&cid=t_171109_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fpre-himss-scuttlebutt.html ORLANDO, Fla.—Congress, are you listening? Steroids have hit health IT. National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Robert Kolodner, M.D., admitted to me this morning that he’s juicing. He even showed me the pills, surreptitiously hidden in the inside pocket of his suit jacket.Yeah, so what if he had a prescription, and he was using the ’roids to cure his laryngitis before he has to deliver a keynote address Wednesday morning to thousands of HIMSS conference attendees? If other media can hype steroid use in baseball, why can’t I do it in health IT?One person I mentioned this to today said he would support the use of performance-enhancing substances for anyone promoting greater adoption of health IT. So I guess the consensus is to take the Bud Selig approach and look the ... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1253182 Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:16:00 +0100 1253182 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=777910&cid=t_171109_113_f&fid=35752&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjseidman.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F08%2F03%2Fresponse-to-usa-today-article-communication-now-part-of-the-cure%2F There was an interesting piece in last Wednesday’s USA Today, “Communication now part of the cure“. They published online a Letter to the Editor I wrote (Continue reading “Get an ‘Ix’ with a Rx” »).  Here’s the text: Get an ‘Ix’ with a Rx Joshua Seidman, president - Center for Information Therapy; Bethesda, Md.USA TODAY’s article “Communication now part of the cure” about the importance of discussions between doctors and patients makes several good points (Life, Wednesday). Since research shows that 40%-80% of everything a doctor tells a patient in the office is forgotten, taking along a patient advocate is a great strategy. Unfortunately, it is not always an option or sufficient. In order to ensure effective... Information Therapy...and Other Ways to Change the World blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=777910 Fri, 03 Aug 2007 20:05:00 +0100 777910 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=758078&cid=t_171109_113_f&fid=35752&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjseidman.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F07%2F25%2Fhealth-literacy-or-death%2F Lots of interesting Ix-related stories have been in the media recently, but none more dramatic than the study from the Archives of Internal Medicine that demonstrated a significant relationship between inadequate health literacy and all-cause mortality in seniors. In fact, Baker et al (7/23/07; abstract at http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/167/14/1503) found that literacy is a more powerful predictor of death than education. Tthe authors also highlight past research that links inadequate health literacy to less knowledge and worse self-management skills for people with chronic disease. This research should reinforce the call to action to deliver information to people that is tailored to their individual needs. Although using plain language is one useful strategy, effective t... Information Therapy...and Other Ways to Change the World blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=758078 Wed, 25 Jul 2007 21:06:49 +0100 758078 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=688808&cid=t_171109_113_f&fid=35752&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjseidman.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F02%2F06%2F10%2F Although the New York Times took a pass on my letter in response to a Jane Brody column January 30 (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/health/30brody.html?ex=1170910800&en=c1237335b6037a06&ei=5070), I thought others might be interested… To complement the expert suggestions in “The Importance of Knowing What the Doctor Is Talking About” (January 30, 2007), keep in mind that most people are “patients” in the traditional clinical environment far less than 1% of any year’s 8,760 hours. Therefore, we should maximize the value of that in-person clinical encounter with information targeted to the individual’s moment in care and tailored to their individual needs. More specifically, a “visit prep” information prescription preceding every encounter will better prepare ... Information Therapy...and Other Ways to Change the World blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=688808 Tue, 06 Feb 2007 14:13:41 +0100 688808