Notes & Links: July 24, 2013

ScienceBlogs has an article titled “A Board Certification in “Integrating” Quackery and Pseuudoscience with Real Medicine” 

The article examines new board certifications in integrative medicine. 

ACIM, founded by Andrew Weil, MD and directed by Victoria Maizes, MD, was in dialogue with the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) toward establishing an American Board of Integrative Medicine in collaboration with the American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine (ABIHM). In that time, the plan has gone forward and over the last few months has come to fruition. Now there is indeed a board certification process for “integrative medicine,” and I can’t help but take a look at it.

The board examination includes the following:

  • Nutrition
  • Dietary supplements, botanicals and other natural products
  • Mind-body medicine and spirituality
  • Complementary and alternative therapies
  • Whole medical systems
  • Lifestyle, prevention, and health promotion
  • Integrative approaches (including conventional medicine)
  • Foundations of integrative medicine
  • Professional practice of integrative medicine

To be honest here I am struggling to find a visceral response. I am scratching my head in wonder if this is forward thinking or quackery? 

Return On Community in Healthcare

The Healthcare Marketer’s title got me right off the bat. Now to read the post. 

But ROI does not help communications professionals and hospital administrator understand the significant changes that need to take place in healthcare marketing for us to establish relevance with the connected consumer. The world has changed and healthcare marketing has not kept pace. We are currently facing a crisis of relevance.

His primary point and one I agree with is that when we invest in a community in healthcare we will see a return on investment in both dollars saved and outcomes. Better patient care is driven today by communities. Those of us following #hcsm etc know how important social media is and what it is doing. Patient engagement with the HCP is key. It is smallest most important unit of learning in healthcare from there it moves to communities. Adult learning theory is the driver of this since adults will only learn and change behavior based on reflection in action when they are seeking solutions to problems. A community shares knowledge and learning and drives change. Read the post and you will be rewarded. 

Marketing to Physicians? Think Education and Email

Here is the graphic on this topic. The n=124 rather small. But take a read if you have the time. Let me know what you think

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