Jun
26
Why Do Doctors Blog?
Filed Under Awards, Medical | Leave a Comment
Does your doctor have a blog? That’s an interesting question.
I have a blog. In fact, I have a couple of blogs, each with a different theme, but all related to my interests as well as a personal blog just for my friends and family. What’s the motivation for writing so much? For me, it’s passion for a subject, the love to write and let my thoughts be known, and a way to inform and educate my readers and hear their views to gain insight and inspiration.
I read this article and would like to share it, its a light and easy reading for a lazy day. =) And oh, click here to a link to the Weblog Awards, the biggest blogging competition in blogosphere! It has many different catagories with Awards for each catagory. The 2008 Best Medical/ Health Weblog Awards is here.
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Dr.Brett Kotlus and Dr. Charles Mok of Shelby Township use Allure Medical Blog to share information about new cosmetic treatments and also to share information about procedures within their practice. “I find that patients at our medical spa are information gatherers, but it can be difficult to sort through the tremendous amount of information available on the internet regarding the cosmetic field. There are literally hundreds of laser procedures out there, as well as wrinkle reducing injectables and I can offer an educated perspective. If a patient asks a question about a new treatment, I can share my analysis within minutes,” explains Dr. Kotlus. “The blog is linked to our practice website, so all of our patients know where to look.” The blogosphere is expanding at an exponential rate. Recent estimates place the total number of blogs at well over 100 million. Even grandparents are blogging. It is not surprising that many doctors are spending time blogging away in between patient interactions. In fact, there are so many medical blogs that there is a Medical Weblog Award, which is given away yearly to a deserving medical internet author. But the style and content of doctor blogs vary as much as the rest of the internet landscape.
Some doctors will write in a diary format, sharing their daily activities and anecdotes. Others have opted to use their electronically public forums as an opportunity to air their complaints about the current state of affairs in healthcare policy, medical malpractice, and insurers. A few doctors are using blogs as a tool to reach out to their patients.
Allure Medical Spa of Shelby Township, Michigan is one of the first medical spas of its kind in the country; it offers some of the most advanced cosmetic procedures in the industry. Being able to offer these types of procedures means that Dr. Kotlus and Dr. Mok must stay ahead of the game; they are constantly researching and attending educational conferences. They have gathered documentation, written papers and delivered their findings to their medical community on many occasions. They have patients who will hear about a new procedure on television or in the media and want more information in a timely manner. Allure Medical Blog is one such way for these doctors to transmit this information.
Dr. Kotlus also culls material for another medical blog, Plasticized.com. “Plasticized is more of a sampling of celebrity plastic surgery gossip and strange cosmetic devices and procedures from around the world,” says Dr. Kotlus. “That type of material didn’t fit with the sensibility of a medical practice, so it’s a separate entity. I post submissions from colleagues and we have fun with it.” Some critics say there are ethical dangers when doctors speak too openly. There is a concern that confidentiality can be compromised and medical misinformation can be interpreted as factual. Others laud the proliferation of doctor blogs as many have devoted audiences who appreciate the amusing and informative insights. In either case, the number of doctor blogs is likely to grow along with doctor’s transition to electronic medical records and electronic prescribing.
“Most of our patients are internet savvy and have a high level of sophistication when it comes to computers,” claims Dr. Mok. “They have given me positive feedback since we’ve started blogging, so this is a service we will continue to provide.”
SOURCE Allure Medical Spa
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