TEDMED Challenge of Health and Medicine – Improving Medical Communications

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Health care is about you being in charge of your health. It’s about you partnering and communicating with your doctor and other health care providers. Patient engagement is essential and it begins with you being an empowered and proactive patient. How can we improve communication between doctor and patient? A critical first step is to gather knowledge and ideas from all of us with a passion for improving our…

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Speaking Events: Blogher and e-Patient Connections

Upcoming speaking events for Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA e-Patient Connections 2012 – September 24-25, 2012 Where:  Philadelphia, PA When:  September 24, 2012 Presentation Title:  Let the Games Begin! Using Gamification as a Tool to Engage e-Patients Effectively – Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Founder, Healthin30, Media Broadcaster, Writer, The Huffington Post and John Pugh, Head of Online Communications, Boehringer Ingelheim Agenda Speakers BlogHer ’12 – August 2-4, 2012 Where:  New York, New York When:…

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Social Media: 3 Notable Quotes in the Social Health Space

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA J&J Unit Closes Facebook Page Due To Comments by Ed Silverman “This page was created – in a spirit of innovation – as a space for people affected by psoriasis to share experiences and information, and to discuss psoriasis and related topics. Janssen is proud to have provided this forum at a time when they weren’t as widespread as they are today. But instead of our original intention of…

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USA TODAY Features the Best in Online Medical Blogs

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA USA TODAY recently hosted Grand Rounds in the “Your Life” Section and featured the Best of the Medical Blogosphere.  Some of the medical bloggers include:  Howard Luks, MD, Jennifer Dyer, MD, Cynthia Bailey, MD, Fred Trotter, Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA (honored), Will Meek, PhD, and others (please read below). Grand Rounds Some of the best medical bloggers have hosted Grand Rounds, from KevinMD, 33charts, Dr. John La Puma,…

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Social Media: Pharma Industry Considers Patient Engagement a Must

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA The Pharmaceutical industry feels patient engagement is a priority, but lacks presence in the social media world.  There’s a better way for Pharma to get their message heard, and it requires going beyond the medications and stepping outside the silo. I’m not in Pharma, and I’m not a marketer, but I find it incredibly frustrating that Pharma lags behind in the social media world.  I had the opportunity to…

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