Case Based Learning With Free iPhone/iPad app

Dr Nayana Somaratna,Co-Founder at TTN Testing Technology (Private) Ltd has been working on the beta version of an interesting medical app for iPhones and iPads. The upcoming app is officially named : "Prognosis : Your call"

Prognosis - a fun and totally free iPhone game that lets you investigate, deduce and diagnose real life in minutes. You can also brainstorm and discuss with other players if you are stuck on a tough or rare case.

Contribute your creative ideas and get exclusive access to try the Beta version of Prognosis before it goes live! 

Features of the app:
• Medical and Surgical case scenarios based on real patients.
• Quick and fun to play : just a few minutes per case scenario.
• Group discussions about each case.
• Submit your own interesting cases and be credited for them


The app is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.

FAQs About Acne Treatment During Pregnancy

There are so many things to consider in acne treatment during pregnancy. Many pregnant women seek out information about acne and acne treatment during pregnancy because this a common condition that develops along with their conception. The situation becomes complicated because the pregnant mom could not use just any medicines available because it might affect the baby growing inside her.

Having a perfectly clear skin before getting pregnant is not a guarantee that a woman will not develop acting during pregnancy. If however you've had the condition before, it might get worse. This usually happens in the first trimester of the pregnancy and will eventually go away after.

Here are the frequently asked questions about acne during pregnancy and acne treatment:

1. Are there ways to prevent acne during pregnancy?
NO. During pregnancy your body produces more androgenic hormones than usual that stimulates the sebaceous or oil glands in your skin to produce more oil. This usually happens in the first three months of pregnancy. Your skin will eventually clear up after this but in some cases, the presence of acne all throughout the pregnancy can be noticed.

2. What type of acne will usually develop?
The most common are cysts and pustules. White heads and black heads are also noted to propagate as well as body acne in areas where there is a heavy concentration of oil glands like the back, neck, chest, arms, shoulders and the buttocks.

3. Will it go away after childbirth?
It is a case to case basis. Every woman is different. During the first trimester, the body produces high levels of progesterone. After that the level decreases and is replaced by estrogen. The skin clears up but occasional breakout may happen. Some women go back to their usual self after two months of giving birth while others especially if it is a pre-existing condition may experience outbreaks every now and then.

4. Will the baby develop acne in his or her teens if the mother has acne during pregnancy?
NO. There is no direct link to this unless it is in the genes of either parent. There are so many factors that contribute to the development of acne.

5. What medications are safe to use for acne treatment during pregnancy?
It is best to check with your dermatologist or OB Gynecologist. NEVER self medicate! This can make the condition worse and the medications might have adverse effects on the baby. It is better to be safe than sorry.

BE SAFE! Click on the link below to get PROFESSIONAL and EFFECTIVE TIPS to deal with acne during pregnancy.

http://www.onlyacne.com

Mayo Clinic and Social Media : Success Stories

Mayo Clinic has a long history of Innovation. The clinic started as a single, small outpatient facility, and later became America's first integrated group practice, and currently integrates the practice of over 1,700 medical doctors.

In 2010, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, was ranked as the #2 overall hospital in the United States by U.S. News & World Report . The hospital maintains an exhaustive informational website and a very helpful patient portal.

The institution uses Social Media extensively. The Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media, a first-of-its-kind social media center focused on health care, builds on Mayo Clinic’s leadership among health care providers in adopting social media tools. See below a presentation by Lee Aase, Director for Social Media at Mayo Clinic to view a few case studies in the use of Social Media by Mayo Clinic.

CME and Social Media

View more presentations from Lee Aase.

Also see :
How Mayo Clinic Uses Social Media
 

Related articles

• Facebook stories and scandals: Mayo Clinic deals with them (scienceroll.com)
• Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media Launches Global Social Media Health Network (eon.businesswire.com)
• Mayo Clinic launches global social media initiative (medcitynews.com)
• Mayo Clinic's Social Media Health Network (medicineandtechnology.com)

What are Patient Portals?

What Are Patient Portals?

Patient Portals are healthcare-related online applications that allow patients to interact and communicate with their healthcare providers, such as physicians and hospitals. Typically, portal services are available on the Internet at all hours of the day. ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_Portals

According to the 2009 Industry Survey from HealthLeaders Media, less than 5 percent of hospitals have interactive patient portals. By 2014 however, more than three quarters of hospitals expect to have patient portals. With increasing popularity of available patient portals, a shift to online patient portals as a service for small and medium sized hospitals seems inevitable.


A study published in JMIR concludes: 

"Portal group patients demonstrated increased satisfaction with communication and overall care. Patients in the portal group particularly valued the portal’s convenience, reduced communication barriers, and direct physician responses. More online messages from patients contained informational and psychosocial content compared to telephone calls, which may enhance the patient-physician relationship."

Common Features offered by portals:

• Scheduling requests - allows patients to request an appointment date. The appointment is then made by office and confirmation sent to patient via secure messaging.
• Medication refills - allows patient to request refill on medications
• E-Visits - is a non-urgent electronic visit and in some instance can be a reimbursable.
• Electronic History taking - patient fills out electronic information regarding visit. This can save time and helps with documentation of HPI and presenting complaints. Thereby improving documentation and reimbursement.
• Pre-registration/Registration - Gets the patients medical history and demographics a very efficient way of registering new patients.
• PHR (Personal Health Record) - a homepage maintained by patient via the Internet allows patient to take charge of their Health.
• Lab results - secure method of transmitting lab results to patients without having to call or send letters.
• Secure messaging - allows for electronic consultations quick questions and/or method to blast vital information to patients especially announcements.
• Patient education materials - same as above but some offer medical information as well
• Bill payments - some portals offer payments via the Internet some offer account information without the ability to pay on line via credit card.

Who offers Portals:

• Medfusion - offers a full array of services (patient registration, secure messaging, personal health records, e-prescribing, virtual visits)

• Instant Medical History from PrimeTime Medical Software is not a patient portal but can be integrated into one. $50/month.

• PrimePatient from Greenway Medical is a Medfusion product that integrates with Greenway's PrimeSuite Electronic Health Record

• Medical net systems- turboHX and PHR separate component

• Meditab - health care portal and auto check in.

• Medisolve - seems limited to patient registration and medical interview.

• Medseek - pre-registration, scheduling, secure messaging, eConsults. Seems to be targeted for larger group practices.

• RelayHealth - part of McKesson. WebVisits, secure messaging, PHR, eScripts. $125/month per physician

• Care Converge patient portal

• Optimal care- is a EHR and a patient portal. 

References:

http://idealhealth.wikispaces.com/Patient+portals

Patient Portals — The New Platform for Health Communications

.