Social Media: What Consumers Need to Know About Online Health Information

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA It’s an exciting time in health care today. The health care landscape is rapidly changing and digital technology has transformed the way we communicate, interact and search for health information. Social Media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, to name a few, are powerful and phenomenal platforms to educate the public, raise awareness of health issues and collaborate and engage in conversations. Social media platforms gives a voice…

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Health Journalism: Have we reached new lows?

Guest post by Gary Schwitzer It doesn’t get much worse than this in health journalism; NY Daily News finds new lows By Gary Schwitzer [Original post published on Gary Schwitzer’s HealthNewsReview Blog, July 13, 2010 and reprinted with permission from Gary Schwitzer.] I know that many people just dismiss the New York Daily News, but you can’t dismiss the number of readers it has and the potential impact its stories may have on them –…

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Gary Schwitzer Notes Some Gems in Health News Reporting

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA In my post from Tuesday, June 15, 2010, “Digging Deep: The 411 Behind Medical News Headlines,” Gary Schwitzer, publisher at HealthNewsReview.org offers vital information for health consumers to help them identify accurate and balanced news reporting. Subsequent to publishing that post, Gary Schwitzer published his list of gems that shine among the rubble of daily health news. Gary admires the individuals, teams and news organizations responsible for these stories….

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How to be an Empowered Health Consumer

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Empowered health consumers know how to take charge of their health and are proactive in their care. Whether they’re surfing the web for health information, visiting their doctor or health care professional, or a patient in the hospital; empowered health consumers know how to question and communicate. This blog is a continuation of the “He Said, She Said” post where I promised to give you tips about how to…

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