Patients as Hackers of Healthcare

Berci Mesko is a Hungarian Physician who is probably the most connected medic in the universe  - he just gets the potential of social media in medicine for both physicians and patients.
E-patient Dave IS the future and may very well have walked out of an episode of Dr. Who.
If this is indeed the future, we in the UK, and by we, I mean patients and healthcare workers, have quite a long but hopefully exciting journey ahead of us.
Enjoy this great talk by E-Patient Dave and an excellent intro from Berci

The Democratizing Forces that will shape the Future of Healthcare.

Patient-centred healthcare, social media and the internet: the perfect storm? -- Rozenblum and Bates -- BMJ Quality and Safety

This is article is a great read and explains to a certain extent the forces that will shape the future of healthcare - determined by patients and consumers  - a truly democratic future whether doctors or managers or politicians like it or not!

Power to the Online People

Do Social Media mess with your head?

The message portrayed by this video struck a chord with me. The NEED to stay connected, the DREAD after missing out for several days. I hasten to add that social media has as yet not led me to the shrink's couch or to start popping benzodiazepines. However ones wonders whether if is it all leading to a form of Herd Anxiety?  I think that some observational studies are required to examine the effect of social media on anxiolytic consumption.
One should be able to take it or leave it.

AND I THOUGHT THERE WAS A SMARTPHONE/PAD REVOLUTION

I occassionally look at the stats associated with this blog. I know it's not quite the British thing to do - many bloggers refer to it as statporn  -  what a great analogy!
Today I have noticed that the vast majority of readers have read pages from my humble offering through their desktops/laptops.
I tend to read my social media and all the shared links on my smartphone and I assumed that most did the same or latterly, through their I or Android Pads. I am obviously either ahead of the curve or just well outside it!!