Web 2.0 - Policies and Guidelines

I've posted a few times about the project I am currently undertaking to build a web 2.0 community health site.

Progress has been a little slow of late due to a few factors. First of all, the two people who worked with me have moved on to new positions, I've taken time off for holidays and my work load has increased significantly, compounded by the fact I'm now working solo on this project. All in all, it's been a very busy time for me.

Now that I'm back and focused on the project, I've been thinking alot about the practical day to day running of the site once it's finalised. Specifically, what guidelines, policies and procedures will I need to have in place. I'd be lying if I said that some aspects of community social networking doesn't concern me. There are so many issues that could surface when people start communicating via the site.

With that in mind, I'm trying to formulate some general guidelines that will form the basis of the terms of use for the site.

Ideally, I'd love to be able to ensure that every comment and post from users is moderated and verified before going live. But I'm one person so this could become time consuming. The down side of that is that people have a very low threshold of the amount of time they are prepared to wait. Plus, social networking is normally spontaneous. You think it, you write it, the thing goes live for all the world to see.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has or is currently tackling these issues. I don't want to get bogged down in guidelines and policies. In my experience, projects can often get caught up in the endless circle of documentation.

No doubt, there is a need for policies and guidelines but it needs to be streamlined and sensible in it's delivery.

tags technorati : web 2.0, ehealth, Health

Insulin Pen - Too expensive?

I read an article this morning from Yahoo News about a new Insulin Pen ready to hit the market.

The new insulin pen comes from the makers, Eli Lilly and Co and could help prevent some punctures.

The drug maker's Memoir pen, the first on the market with a memory device, is for use with its top-selling insulin, Humalog.

The pen which is battery-operated uses a computer chip to remember the last 16 insulin doses delivered.

Unfortunately, the cost will be $100US plus a separate fee for the insulin cartridges.

I posted mid August last year about the issue I have with health technology solutions being out of reach of many. You can read the original post here: TV Doc treat outside the box

I just think it's a real pity that makers can't produce or sell these technologies at a more reasonable rate. Health solutions should not only be available to those who can afford it, but, more importantly for those who can't. They are more often than not the ones who need it the most.

Related links
Yahoo News story

tags technorati : insulin pen, diabetes, obesity, Health, ehealth

The benefits of Health Promotion

A change of pace for todays post. I usually like to write about health with a technical slant as that's what this blog is all about, but today I want to show you a video which I think is really great.

For the last 4 years, I've been lucky enough to work with two amazing health promotion professionals, Elizabeth Buckton and Lisa Courtis. When I started working in Health, I really had no concept of the demands or the many issues facing health providers.

I doubt that I would be as passionate or committed to health care as I am now without the knowledge these two people have shared with me over the years. The one sad thing I have found though is that as a profession, they are under-valued.

This video shows clearly just how powerful health promotion is as a tool to helping the community to improve health care and really make a difference in the world. Next time you see a health promotion professional, thank them for all the amazing work they do and if you know them well enough, give them a hug ;)

Video details
UNICEF's Lydia Lubon reports on Village Health Promoters who provide basic health care to remote communities in Malaysia.

Some quick stats
In 30 decades, health promotion initiatives helped to:

• Maternal mortality rates dropped from 141 deaths to 40 deaths in 100,000 births in 2003


• Infant and child mortality rates dropped to less than 9 deaths in every 1,000 live births in 2002

tags technorati : health promotion village health rural health

Doctors slow to take up email

I read a great article from USAToday regarding the slow take up of Doctors using email to regularly communicate with patients.

Apparently only 8% of patients received email from their doctors, according to an online survey conducted in 2005 by Harris Interactive for The Wall Street Journal Online.

Many experts have noted many reasons for why take up has been so slow, some include:

•Patient confidentiality will be compromised.

•Doctors will be deluged by patient e-mail, which would add hours of uncompensated labor to their work weeks.

•Patients will send e-mail about urgent matters — for, example, heart attack or stroke symptoms — that doctors won't see in time.

Interestingly, the majority of these issues have already been resolved using technology and for those who do offer email consultations, evidence would suggest that these fears are not being realised.

For patients, email offers them a very quick and effective way of communication with their doctors and some say that it has helped them to build a relationship with their physician.

I thought about this a little bit last night and while I can see many issues, as mentioned above, being factors in the slow take up I'd also like to flag the possibility that perhaps the technology makers and suppliers aren't selling it effectively to Doctors.

I think it is easy to put the blame on slow take up of technology into the Doctors corner. The majority want to provide effective service to their patients and are more than happy to adopt technology to help them deliver it.

So is it possible that the technology has been lost in translation? Maybe the benefits of email between Doctor and patient has been lost due to the sheer take up of the technology. Email is so common that it's now a standard form of communication. It might need a makeover in terms of how it's marketed to health professionals.

So Doctors, tech suppliers and makers, do you have a point of view on this topic? Lets start communicating!

tags technorati : email health technology doctor

Interactive Health Podcast Show 9

The latest podcast from Interactive Health (co-hosted by myself) is now available for download.

To listen or subscribe, visit Interactive Health's site and download podcast