Category Archives: social media and healthcare

What has social media got to do with blood transfusions, haematology and the like?

May 21, 2012 – 5:51 pm

How might social media help those working in haematology and blood transfusion services and research? This was one of the questions addressed at a recent Australian Red Cross Blood service meeting in Sydney by Carolyn Der Vartanian, Program Leader for the NSW Blood Watch program at the Clinical Excellence Commission. *** Scary new pathogens or a [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in health and medical research, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

Introducing a wealth of ideas for new online health-related publications

May 16, 2012 – 8:11 pm

Entrepreneurs and philanthropists take note: below are some terrific ideas for new health-related online publications. Croakey recently put out a call on behalf of the Public Interest Journalism Foundation for ideas for online publications covering health-related areas of need. One of the pitches will be developed during a session at the New News conference, which will [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in aged care, climate change, disasters, evidence-based issues, Health inequalities, legal issues, Media-related issues, public health, rural and remote health, social determinants of health, women's health | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

Any ideas for a new online publication covering a health-related area of need?

May 4, 2012 – 10:40 am

Is there an area of need in health that you would like to see receive more investigation and focus? Or that could benefit from some online community building? This is your chance to pitch an idea for such a publication. The Public Interest Journalism Foundation is calling for ideas for new online health publications – [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in Media-related issues | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

What does social media mean for health and medical education?

April 30, 2012 – 6:52 pm

The digital revolution will profoundly change the face of academia by unbundling the roles of research and teaching, and slashing the need for academics, due to the routine use of online learning tools and the opening up of access to premium content and sources. These predictions were put forward recently at The Conversation by Chris [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in health and medical education, public health | Comments (0)

What can bloggers do for public health and the greater good?

April 24, 2012 – 6:53 pm

Public health advocates can learn a lot from how corporates and non profits are reaching out to bloggers, according to Cairín Conway, Media & Communications Advisor for SunSmart at the Cancer Council Victoria. She says the blogosphere offers huge opportunities for health organisations wanting to engage with audiences, and offers some practical advice in the article below. (And [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in cancer, public health | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

Will social media prove useful in efforts to tackle antibiotic resistance?

April 23, 2012 – 4:25 pm

As previously reported, Sweden has shown it is possible to reduce prescribing of antibiotics. Can Australia manage similar? The NPS is hoping so – as you may have heard, it has launched a campaign using social media and mainstream media to engage the wider community in tackling inappropriate use of these drugs. (And on Thursday, the [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in consumer health information, general practice, infectious diseases, Media-related issues, pharmaceutical industry, public health | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Join a Twitter chat about involving children and parents in research and service development

April 11, 2012 – 11:41 am

Eva Alisic is a trauma psychologist, research fellow at Monash Injury Research Institute, blogger and Tweeter.  If you’ve ideas for how children and parents could be empowered to contribute to the design of mental health research and care, you might like to join her in a Twitter chat tomorrow afternoon. *** An invitation to contribute to [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in child health, health and medical research, mental health, trauma, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

The latest wrap of Croakey’s coverage of public health, health reform and the works

April 10, 2012 – 8:37 pm

Croakey readers are welcome to sign up for (rather irregular) summaries of posts. If you’d like to join the mailing list, please send your email or leave it below. Here is the latest compilation, covering articles posted since the beginning of the year. The latest readership figures are now also available, showing that more than 39,000 [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in alcohol, Food, general practice, Indigenous health, Media-related issues, Naked Doctor, physical activity, private health insurance, public health, rural and remote health, social determinants of health, The Conversation, tobacco control, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

The thinking behind Drink Tank, and other public health news about alcohol

April 5, 2012 – 10:14 am

The opportunities of the digital age are changing the way public health advocates engage with the wider community, as evidenced by the recent launch of Drink Tank, a new “conversation space” for discussions about alcohol. In the article below, Michael Thorn, Chief Executive of the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE), explains some of the [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in alcohol, Media-related issues, public health | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Using social media to engage young people in research

April 3, 2012 – 10:03 am

Social media channels offer new avenues for engaging young people in research, says Dr Yeshe Fenner, who is involved in a new study of young women’s health in Melbourne. *** Recruiting through social media – a brave new world Yeshe Fenner writes: The medical and health research community is facing a major challenge as traditional [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in health and medical research, women's health | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)