use of modern communication technologies to disseminate health information
TRANSCRIPT
Use of modern communication technologies to disseminate health
information
Think about it!
When was the last time you talked to a friend on a phone? Perhaps you text messaged each other on the facebook. Or maybe you opted for the IM route,
exchanging LOLs over a hyperlink.
Some might had used skype for the group chat with the friends from school? A few of you might had watched the USAID 5th Birthday Movie on reducing the
under five mortality on YouTube.
For those who had subscribed to various online newsletter, journals and RSS might had received the email alert of the latest news by this time on their
computers.
Can you remember the day when you first surfed the WHO website?
Have your ever read the blog, listened to the podcasts, or attended the webinar?
Some modern communication Technologies
• Telephone and Cell Phone
• Computers and Laptops
• Internet and Websites
• Email (Electronic Mail)
• Social Media (facebook, twitter, linkedin, skype, YouTube)
• Webinar
• Online Newspaper/Magazine/Journals
• Blog
• RSS Feed
• Podcasts
• Instant Messengers
• Online TVs and Online Radios
“The arrival of computers and new technologies into mainstream life continue to impact the way in which people receive and disseminate
information on a variety of topics, particularly healthcare.”
--Deborah Leyva
http://myhealthtechblog.com
Telephone and Cell Phones
Only call Call and Text message
Computers and Laptops
Computers
• fixed
• Relatively big
Laptops
• Portable
• Relatively small
Backbone of all modern communication technologies
Internet & WebsitesHealth information available in the
internet can be accessed through the websites (usually start with WWW)
Some Public Health website worth surfing:
WHO: www.who.int/
CDC: www.cdc.gov/
MOHP: http://www.mohp.gov.np
Email (Electronic Mail)Requires:
•Working email addresses for both the sender and recipient
•PC or cell phones with net access
Advantages:
•quickest means of transmitting messages
•secure and secret
•can be sent to a large number of people simultaneously
Social Media
Various Social Networking Sites with their own special feature that can
be used to disseminate health information
Some useful Public Health pages to ‘LIKE’
WHO: facebook.com/WorldHealthOrganization
CDC: facebook.com/CDC
APHA: facebook.com/AmericanPublicHealthAssociation
USAID:facebook.com/USAID.News
PHP: facebook.com/publichealthperspective
Have a discussion on health topics with array of health professions through
a special feature called ‘tweet’
www.twitter.com
Some twitters to follow: @WHO; @UNICEF; @PublicHealth; @JohnsHopkinsSPH
• More Professional
• Accept student as a profession
• Huge number of top level public health
personnel as well as public health
organization are the user of linkedin
www.linkedin.com
Some Linkedin to follow:
With Skype, you can disseminate a health information, through:
• instant message,
• voice and video calling,
• calling phones and mobiles all over the world (for this you need to have credit)
• holding a meeting and
• even conference through conference callsfeature
Note: need a phone or computer or a TV with Skype on it.
www.skype.com
YouTube is a video-sharing website, on which users can upload, view and share
videos
Some YouTube Channel (related to public health) worth subscribing:
WHO:
http://www.youtube.com/user/who
CDC:
http://www.youtube.com/user/CDCStreamingHealth
UNICEF:
http://www.youtube.com/user/unicef
Webinar•A short term for Web-based Seminar, a presentation, lecture, workshop that is transmitted over the Web,
•Also known as web conference
•More advance communication tech
Some typical features:
•Slide show presentations
•Live or Streaming video
•Meeting Recording
•Text chat
•Polls and surveys
Some examples of webinars on public health topics can be found at: http://www.apha.org/advocacy/reports/webinars/
Online Newsletter/Magazine/Journals
• Electronic form of the print one
• Can have access to wide range of topics
• Both open access and restricted
Public Health Online Newsletters:
•Public Health Perspective (PHP) Online Newsletter (Nepal’s first)
•The Nations’ Health (APHA)
•Intouch (PHAA)
Public Health Magazine:
•IMPACT magazine
Public Health Journals:
•The Bulletin of the World Health Organization
•The American Journal of Public Health
•BMC Public Health
•Journal of Public Health
Blog•A blog is basically a type of website, like a forum
•The features that make blogs different from other websites are:content is published in a chronological fashion
content is updated regularly
readers have the possibility to leave comments
other blog authors can interact via trackbacks and pingbacks
content is syndicated via RSS feeds
Some public health blogs worth readingPublic Health Matters Blog (CDC - Blogs ): http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/
The Healthy Public : http://www.onlinemastersinpublichealth.org/blog.html
Health Wonk Review: http://diseasemanagementcareblog.blogspot.com/
RSS Feed•stands for "Really Simple Syndication".
•is a way to easily distribute a list of headlines, update notices, and sometimes content to a wide number of people.
•is a better way to be notified of new and changed content.
•Notifications of changes to multiple websites are handled easily, and the results are presented to you well organized and distinct from email.
Some RSS worth subscribing:WHO: http://www.who.int/about/licensing/rss/en/index.htmlCDC:http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/rss.asp
RSS Feed
Podcasts•is a combination of the words "broadcast" and "iPod" ® (one of the most popular portable mp3 players).
•is a digital audio file (usually in mp3 format) made available for download on the Internet via a "feed".
•is distinguished from other digital media by its ability to be
syndicated,
subscribed to, and
downloaded automatically, using a feed reader application, also known as podcast aggregator and podcatcher.
Some useful public health podcastsWHO Podcasts: http://www.who.int/entity/mediacentre/multimedia/podcasts/en/JHSPH Podcastshttp://www.jhsph.edu/rss/index.htmlGlobal Health Podcast http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php
Others
• Instant Messengers
– Yahoo Messenger
– Windows Live Messenger
– Mig33
– Nimbuzz
• Online Radios and TVs
• Powerpoint
Nepal Perspective
• Establishment of digital library by MoHP (http://elibrary-mohp.gov.np/)
• Provision of subscribing health tips and health messages through SMS– NCELL=To subscribe Health Tips: Type SUBDHT and send it to 8888
• Increasing access to computers, laptops, TV, cell phones, and internet
• Growing list of people using different social medias (e.g. facebook, twitter, linkedin, skype)
• Emerging list of health related online newsletter, websites and online forum (e.g. PHP online newsletter, Nepal Public Health Network, virtual form such as Nepal Public Health Professionals, All Nepal Public Health Students)
Barriers to use of modern communication technologies
• Training and access to technology
• limited knowledge in using these modern facilities
• Usability and readability
• vision, cognition and/or physical impairments
• Language
Disadvantages
• there are many websites that provide inaccurate or incomplete information
• Information overload
• Lack of privacy
• Safety
Conclusion
Modern communication technology when used appropriately will contribute to the dissemination of health information to the wide range of people.
Recommendation
Only use those modern communication technologies to disseminate health information that are reliable.
References• http://www.myhealthtechblog.com/2009/08/the-value-of-the-internet-
for-improving-healthcare-in-older-adults-part-1.html
• http://www.who.int/entity/mediacentre/multimedia/podcasts/en/
• http://www.nia.nih.gov/NR/rdonlyres/3914F446-881A-4BFE-B7A4-7C6F94E56748/8335/Online_Health_InformationCan_You_Trust_It.pdf
• http://about.skype.com/
• https://support.twitter.com/
• Software Garden, Inc. 2004 (http://rss.softwaregarden.com/aboutrss.html)
• http://www.dailyblogtips.com/what-is-a-blog/
Thank You!You can reach to me at:
977-9804183412
facebook.com/abanstola
@amrit_banstola
Amrit Banstola
amritbanstola