Sarah Willey's Blog (36)

When I come down with an illness, the first thing I do is head straight to the internet to look up my symptoms. It’s empowering at times. I feel better prepared when I do get an appointment with my doctor. I’m definitely not alone.

According to a blog written by Riche Chelko, president and founder of The Chelko Consulting Group. patients…

As you are reading this, 114,810 people are waiting for an organ. Eighteen people will die today waiting for an organ that could save their life. Yet, even for those who undergo a solid organ transplant, they face serious complications. Today I wanted to share exciting news for those who get a second chance. This month, the FDA has approved the first DNA test to help doctors treat a common viral infection in patients who have a solid organ transplant.

The cytomegalovirus (CMV) is…

One man’s plight to raise money for a 3-year-old boy from Wales who had his legs amputated after contracting meningococcal septicemia has caught the attention of the White House.  While attending a ceremony to accept the White House Photographer of the Year award, Dai Baker nearly got thrown out of for…

As I rushed out the door this morning with my laptop in one hand and iPhone in the other, results from a new survey that aired on the morning news confirmed what I already knew - checking email and using social media is addictive.…

As mHealth continues to gain momentum, I wanted to share an example of how the technologies we use every day can help sick patients all over the world.

An interesting case study generated attention recently after a letter was published in the Journal of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock describing the use of a Webcam, Skype and an iPhone 4 to conduct a remote pulmonary ultrasound in Scotland. The technologies allowed a…

There is so much to be said about the way the internet has improved our society. We can now do everything from our home computer or via our smart phone. There’s no need to leave the house anymore. We can rent movies, order groceries, telecommute and even have consults with our doctors. But I was kind of surprised to read that some people are now having sessions with their therapist via Skype from their home computer, or even the Skype app.

Some say there’s comfort in carrying…

Having spent many hours in a hospital ER waiting room for myself and my kids, I'm really excited about the following concept.

Some hospitals are adding a texting service that allows patients to receive up-to-date information on their mobile phones while en route to the hospital. Shawnee Mission (Kan.) Medical Center uses a system called ER Texting, a system that went live last March. Using a dedicated texting code, patients can send a text message with their ZIP code in the body of…

There's a report this morning that an HD version of the iPad will be released with 2048 x 1536 pixels resolution display, almost double the current pixel display. Apparently, this is not the new iPad 3, rather, a premium version of the iPad aimed at physicians who could utilize a higher pixel density display for viewing radiology images.…

I have been following the news over the future of Avastin, a drug that was approved under the FDA's accelerated approval pathway after an early study showed women taking Avastin with paclitaxel had an additional 5.5 months of progression-free survival compared to taking just paclitaxel.  For those of you who don't know, an FDA panel voted on Wednesday that Avastin is not safe and effective when used against metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer and should no longer be approved to treat it.…

An article posted on Boston.com in the White Coat Notes by Carolyn Johnson this afternoon really shocked me. I want to know what you think.

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When I read yesterday's blog post by KevinMD, I couldn't help but think about my recent visit to my PCP. As we all know, EMRs are going to be a part of every practice soon. But he reminds us that "one of the problems of the current crop of EMRs is how they obstruct the doctor-patient relationship."

I would have to agree with that.…

Yet another medical school is handing out iPads to help students with their education. University of Minnesota's Duluth campus is the latest school. This falls in line with what other medical schools, including Standford, University of California-Irvine and University of Central Florida have one over the past few months.

So how are students using the iPad? There's a push for replace traditional text books with e-books. Some schools are encouraging students to use the iPad in…

As a parent, I cringed at this article in USA Today by Byron Acohido. Predators are looking beyond online chatrooms to stalk children. With the rising popularity of mobile devices and social media, there are more opportunities than ever for potential sex offenders, pornographers and predators to threaten our kids.  

The article highlights that as technology changes, parents have a tough time…

No one likes to call the doctor when they're sick only to be put on hold for a 1/2 hour, and then learn that the doctor can't fit them in. A growing number of medical practices have a new solution. They're allowing patients to schedule appointments online — eliminating multiple calls and waiting on hold and increasing the likelihood of finding someone with an opening.

There are several factors driving this trend, including costs of course. Read the full article published…

This is an example of the future in personalized medicine. Check out this article. But if you're not up to clicking on the link, below is a summary of the article.

Researchers at the University of Toronto, Canada, have developed a mobile-phone based system to monitor blood pressure.

The monitoring system automatically picks up the patient's home blood pressure readings,…

There's an emerging trend in healthcare according to a new article by Rita Rubin of USA Today: See here.

Online companies with names such as "MDLiveCare" and "RingADoc" are diagnosing and treating common conditions such as allergies and the flu over the Internet or on the phone, forcing state regulators to revisit decade-old rules about what constitutes a…

Do social media initiatives that help physicians, patients and medical researcher communities share information really drive down healthcare-related costs AND improve quality of care. The answer is yes according to the report

"Healthcare Performance Management in the Era of 'Twitter," which was published this week by the Healthcare…