Last February, I had the privilege of presenting a workshop at the 9th Annual Cochrane Canada Symposium.

It was a lovely conference amongst the masters and purists of Evidence Based Medicine. Our session, Using Social Media to Promote Evidence-Based Practice: A Primer on Blogs, Wikis, and Twitter, was very well received (abstract below).

ABSTRACT

Workshop 6: Using Social Media to Promote Evidence Based Practice

Background: This workshop provides an overview of three popular social media technologies, blogs, wikis and microblogging (e.g., Twitter, Yammer). The authors will show where to locate medical blogs and wikis on the social web and the type of information that can be found there to support evidence-based practice. Through a mix of didactic lecture, hands-on practice, and group discussion, this workshop provides an entry point for social media beginners.
Learning objectives: At the end of this workshop, participants will:

• Understand blog, wiki and microblogging tools and how they are used in medicine
• Have some basic knowledge of how to select one of the social tools examined to support evidence-based practice and medical education
• Identify major blogging and wiki platforms to create accounts, new content and social networks
• Be able to assess issues of privacy on various social media platforms
• Contextualize workshop information for personal use in practice, research and continuing education

Format: A practical session that combines lecture, live demonstrations and practical exercises.

Equipment required: Participants can bring their laptops and mobiles. Internet access will be provided.

Knowledge level required: Some awareness of social media and basic knowledge of the web.

It is essential that I acknowledge my co-authors Dean Giustini (Lead), and Dan Hooker, for their hard work and collaboration in this project.

September 17th, 2011 | Articles by me, e-Public Health, English, Presentations, Professional Resources | No comments

With the H1N1 Pandemic still fresh in our minds, the Winter Olympics have zeroed the spotlight on Vancouver. With 70,000 visitors per day, 5,000 athletes and staff, 1,350 Paralympic athletes, 10,000 media, 25,000 volunteers, and 8,000 security personnel, a single disease outbreak can become catastrophic. Historically, mass gatherings have been particularly sensitive to vector outbreaks. The 2006 Turin games, for example, were no exception – respiratory syndrome with fever (influenza) and gastroenteritis (Norovirus) were the most common pathologies.¹ Unlike Turin however, Vancouver is ready. We are at the forefront of Technology-Enabled Knowledge Translation (TEKT) in practice.

TEKT refers to the strategic deployment of modern information and communication technologies to help individuals and organizations accelerate the incorporation of research and new knowledge into clinical practice.² For the Olympics, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is responsible for deploying one of the most intricate public health surveillance systems ever designed for a planned mass gathering.³ As a medium of dissemination and performance evaluation by the system, technology is the modus operandi in the integration of fourteen data sources which allow for continuous assessment, monitoring, and public health response. Table 1 (below) displays the data sources, including both existing and enhanced data resources created for solely for Olympic surveillance by VCH. The intricacy doesn’t stop there however. All components of data collection are also congruent with the Olympic Movement Medical Code,⁴ the document which describes the rules and medical practices for Olympians and prevents positive doping tests resulting from medical treatment.

Table 1: Surveillance System Components

(more…)

February 25th, 2010 | Articles by me, e-Public Health, English | 1 comment