Do you use Web 2.0 in clinical decision making?
Mike is getting ready to fly the LITFL flag at the Essentials of Emergency Medicine in November this year. Lucky conference goers (and those with access to the online version) will have the opportunity to check out not one, but three (!) talks he is giving on social media and emergency medicine. He is putting in a huge number of Kadogjen hours into the preparation of these talks (how these units of time are converted into those of mere mortals is discussed in Time is but a quotient).
As part of the preparation we’ve been reviewing some of our previous exploits in the Web 2.0 presentation arena. A couple of years ago I wrote a post titled ‘Web 2.0 for Emergency Physicians‘ based on a talk I gave at one of the ACEM Winter Symposiums. Anne-Marie Cunningham left a comment questioning whether Web 2.0 resources are of any real use in clinical decision making. I left a response at the time, but considerable water has passed under the bridge since.
Today I find it hard to imagine being a clinician without having access to these resources for my knowledge needs. For instance, I learnt from other blogs/ podcasts (such as emcrit.org and resus.me) of the amazing utility of ketamine sedation for non-invasive ventilation in patients with obstructive airways disease who are unable to tolerate the mask. I suspect that this knowledge alone has allowed me to save at least one life, or at least avoided putting someone at considerable risk from endotracheal intubation. Furthermore, these days, thanks to tools like Twitter and the comments sections on blogs, I have a constant, ongoing dialogue with emergency physicians and critical care experts around the world regarding clinical issues that perpetually puzzle me. I honestly believe that web 2.0 resources have a central role in how I function as a clinician today.
Am I alone?
I don’t think so.
I’d like to find out whether other people think Web 2.0 resources (or social media, if you like) have a role in their clinical decision making.
If you have a story to tell, don’t be shy, leave a comment below.
Chris is an Intensivist and ECMO specialist at The Alfred ICU, where he is Deputy Director (Education). He is a Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University, the Lead for the Clinician Educator Incubator programme, and a CICM First Part Examiner.
He is an internationally recognised Clinician Educator with a passion for helping clinicians learn and for improving the clinical performance of individuals and collectives. He was one of the founders of the FOAM movement (Free Open-Access Medical education) has been recognised for his contributions to education with awards from ANZICS, ANZAHPE, and ACEM.
His one great achievement is being the father of three amazing children.
On Bluesky, he is @precordialthump.bsky.social and on the site that Elon has screwed up, he is @precordialthump.
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