Digital Pharma: Byte-sized roundup
pharmafile | November 20, 2009 | News story | Medical Communications | LinkedIn, digi, digital pharma, eczema, electronic patient records, patients
LinkedIn and Microsoft have signed a deal that will see the forthcoming version of Outlook incorporate feeds from the social networking platform.
The business-social networking site already offers an Outlook Toolbar, and from early next year will become the first networking site to be incorporated into Microsoft’s new Outlook Social Connector.
LinkedIn also recently linked up with Twitter to allow users to post messages to both sites at the same time.
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The first electronic patient records to be implemented as part of a London-wide programme went online yesterday at a GP practice in Southwark.
Summary Care Records contain key medical information, such as a patient’s medications, allergies and adverse reactions, and can be added to by healthcare staff as treatment is given.
Everyone living in the capital will be written to about the initiative and will be able to opt out of having one of the new records created for them if they wish.
The long-delayed programme will go national next year as Strategic Health Authorities across England implement it. Among the first will be the East of England SHA, which expects to have Summary Care Records in place by the end of 2010.
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A Nottingham, UK based support group for carers of children with eczema has formed an international support network through its Twitter account.
The @eczemasupport account is run on behalf of the Nottingham Support Group for Carers of Children with Eczema by Amanda Roberts, whose sons were both treated for eczema as children.
Amanda said: “I’ve been amazed by the number of people signing up and the feeling of community. It’s not just about handing out advice – followers contact each other and offer help and advice based on their own experiences. Parents across the world are helping each out which would never happen without this kind of service.”
Roberts, who was a patient carer representative on the NICE committee which prepared the Institute’s childhood eczema guidelines, sends tweets of advice and support to Twitter followers from India to the United States.
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Finally, in the US increasing numbers of patients are turning to the internet for health information, according NPR.
They reported on a recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project that found 61% of adults look online for health information and a significant minority of these ‘e-patients’ (20%) go to social networking sites to talk about their condition.
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Dominic Tyer is web editor for Pharmafocus and InPharm.com and the author of the Digital Pharma blog. He can be contacted via email, Twitter or LinkedIn.
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