Health Highlights – March 11th, 2010

Reading time: 2 – 4 minutes

Health Highlights is a biweekly summary of particularly interesting articles from credible sources of health and medical information that we follow & read. For a complete list of recommeded sources, see our links page.

• Why the iPad Matters for Healthcare | The Health Care Blog

  The iPad has the potential to be truly useful for healthcare. Thomas Goetz offers an optimistic forecast.

• Health Tweeder. A Neat Visual Tool… But is it Useful? | Laika’s MedLibLog

  Jacqueline reviews Health Tweeder, a visual tool to aggregate twitter messages on specific health topics.

• How Risky Are Social Networking Sites for Kids | Dr Shock MD PhD

  The results of an online survey published in the journal Pediatrics found that claims of unwanted sexual solicitation or harassment associated with social networking sites don't appear justified. Dr Shock reviews the results.

• What is the difference between health and healthcare? | Jay Parkinson + MD + MPH = a doctor in NYC

  Jay Parkinson predicts what will happen when the business model of "sickcare" – transactions between payors and providers – becomes squeezed between federal and state regulations, and the implications of such an event for brands entering the health space.

• Exercise Reduces Anxiety In Sick Patients | Healthcare Hacks

  A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds that regular exercise can be effective at reducing anxiety. Fred Lee runs through the results.

• Even Though Adults Still Need 8.5 Hours of Sleep Each Night, Most People Sleep 6.5 | The Patient Report

  Cheree Cleghorn reviews the results of a recent poll on U.S. sleep habits and questions why we’re a nation of sleep-deprived people.

• Is Self-Guided Research Dangerous to Your Health? | The Decision Tree

  Thomas Goetz discusses self-guided or personalized research – patients using social media to decentralize and distribute health data, and using that information to make informed decisions.

• Worrying: WordPress shut down a Blog of a Student Critizing the Naturopath Christopher Maloney | Laika’s MedLibLog

  The complementary and alternative medicine movement has a great deal of influence over healthcare consumers. Jacqueline expresses worry over the tactics recently taken by alternative practitioners to silence critical science writers.