Global Health Public Relations Blog
Image: Smithsonian
Recently, a Pittsburg biohacker planted a chip in his arm to track his temperature and transmit the results to his phone via Bluetooth. Despite the limited use of the device, the news reignited the biohacking debate. The term is used to define the practice of using hacking attitudes and ethics to engage with biology. This trend features people without professional or medical training developing technological devices to enhance living conditions. [Read more...]
Today’s blog post comes to us from Lindsay Ford of Spectrum, GLOBALHealthPR U.S. partner and Chair.
The United States is not alone in its enduring healthcare dilemma.
Around the world, the provision of accessible and affordable healthcare is undeniably challenged by a shortage of skilled healthcare professionals, the physical distance between patients and their providers, and the high cost of essential healthcare equipment. With epidemics of infectious and chronic illnesses affecting both developed and developing countries, there is an urgent need to use innovative, technology-supported innovations to transform the manner in which medical care is delivered to populations. Increasing the use of electronic and mobile health (mHealth) systems for medical service delivery not only improves access to care, but also saves money while providing higher levels of quality care. [Read more...]
Is there a new game-changer in Brazilian journalism? Laís Cattassini of Tino Comunicação, GLOBALHealthPR’s partner in Brazil discusses.
Protesters in Rio de Janeiro.
Celso Barbosa-Futura Press/Veja
Here in Brazil, there is no question journalism has seen a dramatic change over the years. Although I am not old enough to have experienced what some would call “the good old days,” my generation is now part of a new way of making news.
One group of young people is trying to do it differently—trying to change the way we produce and consume the news. They call themselves “ninjas.” Not as in warriors or as in spies. Well…maybe. NINJA is an acronym for “Narrativas Independentes, Jornalismo e Ação” (Independent Narratives, Journalism and Action). Unlike big-media journalists, these ninjas are part of the action, sometimes even provoking the facts. [Read more...]
Zambia efficiently tracks medical histories and public health. “Why not bring it to the US?” asks Brittany Allgood of Spectrum, GlobalHealthPR partner in the United States.
Brittany Allgood
In a land where health care illiteracy is prevalent and disease outbreaks can spread quickly due to poor environmental and sanitation conditions, how do you efficiently document individual medical histories and monitor public health?
In Zambia, health care institutions are using innovative technology to track and cater to health care needs. SmartCare – conceived in 2003 and developed by Zambia’s Ministry of Health and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention – is an electronic health record (EHR) system designed with local challenges in mind.
How does it work?
Similar to loading money onto a D.C. Metro SmartTrip card, medical personnel can load a patient’s health care records onto a SmartCare card to be taken home for safe keeping. Records include personal information about illness, prescriptions, lab results and more, and data analysis of records can reveal trends in the spread of disease.
The SmartCare system is designed to function in areas with minimal telecommunication capabilities and frequent power outages. Lending credibility to the system and expanding its reach, the World Health Organization, USAID and UNICEF are among SmartCare partners.
The result?
In addition to aiding doctor efficiency with user-friendly, rapid data-entry capabilities, SmartCare is intended to improve data accuracy and enable cost-effective, confidential, life-long quality health care.
With the benefits to Zambian patients in mind, I wonder how this system can be applied to improve health care in other parts of the world. For example, considering the system’s reliability and ease of use, how could it be used to improve health care in disaster relief situations?
What’s up with electronic medical records in the U.S.?
Even in a community where the average person can complete a medical form unaided, there are benefits to implementing an EHR system. Think about it – how much time have you wasted filling and re-filling out forms at the doctor or dentist office? Are you sure you remembered every detail each time?
We’ve all heard about the Affordable Care Act, which goes into effect on January 1, 2014. We won’t go into the details here, but one program initiative is to advance the transition from paper records to EHRs. According to Medical News Today, many question the ease of use and integration process of this new IT system, and there’s no doubt that others are concerned about privacy issues.
Can we take a lesson from our friends in Africa?
A SmartCare system in the U.S. could address concerns about ease of use and confidentiality of EHRs. Personally, I’d appreciate having a password-protected card or flash drive containing all my medical records and insurance information. If doctors and dentists accepted this form of information transference, it would save a lot of time during visits.
What’s your take on adopting EHRs in the U.S. – an important initiative or expensive waste of time?
Today, Amanda Sellers shared the results of our global awareness campaign at the 2010 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fourth annual National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media. The “Find the Other 150″ campaign “found” 24 percent more children with a rare, fatal, and rapid aging disease called Progeria, a disease affecting less than .01% of the world’s population.
In creating and carrying out the campaign for The Progeria Research Foundation, firms in 10 countries collaborated through GLOBALHealthPR, the largest independent public relations group dedicated to health communications worldwide.
Reaching out to media and medical professionals with culturally relevant and strategic communications methods, as well as using online tools such as the campaign website (www.findtheother150.org), the awareness generated more than 20 inquiries to PRF about potential children with Progeria in six months. From these inquiries, 13 new children with Progeria were identified from seven countries, increasing the total number of children known to have Progeria worldwide to 67 (a 24 percent increase). Watch below to hear more about the campaign from Amanda Selllers and click here to view the campaign poster and press release.
