Welcome to this week's edition of the medblog roundup, as originally conceived by
Nick of Blogborygmi and
archived for a rainy day.
Next week's host: Elisa at
Healthy Concerns.
If you'd like to know more about the GeekNurse blog and the geek that writes it, Nick has been kind enough to write
one of his 'Pre-rounds' articles over at Medscape.
(It's worth clarifying one point from the article. While I don't make a big noise about my name or where I work, I am in fact identified at the bottom of this site, in the copyright. Frankly, since there's only one PICU in New Zealand I'm not very difficult to find!)
This week, an experiment:
exactly how much work is it to host Grand Rounds? This topic has been discussed back and forth for a little while now, with various formats proposed as solutions to the growing number of submissions. To contribute to this process, I've included every submission I received and kept track of the time involved, while trying to avoid my usual excesses in writing the thing!
I had a more artistic effort in mind, but that can wait till next time. This is more by way of saying, if you want to keep it simple, you can. The following took just over 4 hours to compile. I think it would be possible to do it in less, now that I've done it once. I'll write up a description of how it was put together and some shortcuts tomorrow, in case anyone out there is feeling nervous about offering to host.
Geek Pick
Usually I take the liberty of selecting one submission out of each grand rounds that I enjoyed reading the most. This week, I get to choose one from 'my' GR.
When your home town is wrecked by a hurricane it tends to rob you of something. Some have compared the damage of a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina to a rape, but I don't see that. For me, it is more like losing a brother.
Read
When Azaleas Last In the Backyard Bloom'd at
Doctor Hébert's Medical Gumbo.
Best of the Week
My original 'top twenty' turned into a 'top fifteen'. Because I'm fickle. These either made me laugh out loud (automatic inclusion!) or were especially poignant or interesting. They are presented in order of submission.
Dust in the Wind presents
a true "nursing from the trenches" story! Please read this one while observing standard precautions.
UroStream feels as if she's
assaulting her patients sometimes, but can see them in the context of their loved ones too.
It pays to tell the truth, according to
Sunlight Follows Me.
The Blog that Ate Manhattan gives an example of user-pays education leading to
user-pays intercourse.
Chronic Babe hosts an article on hypoglycaemia. It's not just a number when
it's YOUR glucose we're talking about!
It's hard to have
those really big conversations with patients, as
Dr Charles describes.
The Cheerful Oncologist launches his colleague across the room.
At
Over My Med Body,
the defensive medicine discussion continues. Also, allow me to plug
MDCalc, a free online calculator for clinicians.
Doctor Andy reflects on
two of his patients.
Doc Around the Clock should have been in show business. Or maybe
some of his patients.
DonorCycle reminds us not to underestimate a patient, even
the little ones.
Kim's got
contrasts six ways from Sunday at
Emergiblog Keith at
Digital Doorway has
a thoughtful article on the contrasts evident in his work.
Step out of the high tech and
take a look at the basics as
To The Teeth presents an account of a refugee camp in India.
Harbor FM Residency has
two letters from Pakistan.
On Theme
This week's theme was "Glass half-empty, glass half-full". Deliberately vague, the intent was to describe good and bad extremes of life in healthcare, or explore some of the contrasts in one's work. Many of the on-theme posts are featured above, but there are still some gems to be found here.
In nursing, especially as a student, it doesn't take long for a day with good potential to
turn just plain ugly.
Coffee and Conversation in a Smoky Room shows us how.
Didn't anyone ever tell Dr Crippen that he's supposed to
notice when a woman changes something about her appearance?
NHS Blog Doctor presents
the classic case of a visit that ought to have gone well, but didn't.
The Beast shares a glass half-full
view of her husband's hospital admission.
Rita of
MSSP Nexus gives us
the pros and cons of her work in medical staff service.
Last but not Least
Also in order of submission.
Kevin, MD:
NY Times - Why Doctors Get it Wrong. Check the comments section.
Fixin' Healthcare: NGA
one,
two, and
three.
Straight from the Doc:
Vitamin E Sending Mixed SignalsDiabetes Mine:
Nitric OxideSumer's Radiology Site:
Mitral Valve DiseaseInsure Blog:
Tuesday Health Tip.
BioTech:
Antidepression Transdermal Patch Approved by FDAHospital Impact:
News ScoopAnxiety, Addiction and Depression Treatments:
Internet SafetyThe Heart of the Matter:
The Star Misses Opportunity to Educate the PublicClinical Cases and Images:
Continuous Search Engine QueriesNeonatal Doc:
FertilityNotes from Dr RW:
Practising Medicine--Can We Self-Actualize?Unbounded Medicine:
Getting not enough or too much sleep affects risk of type 2 diabetes mellitusRespectful Insolence:
The Geiers go dumpster diving yet againCircadiana:
What is a 'natural' sleep pattern?Parallel Universes:
Sleep-Talk AgainThe Medical Blog Network:
Online Content Aggregators: The Past, The Present, The FutureFlea:
Three WishesDiseaseProof:
Vitamin B Ineffective Against Heart DiseaseAetiology:
Masks. Also
a video about nurses.
Healthy Policy:
The Deserving SickGruntdoc:
Can a woman with children make it through Medical School?Aggravated DocSurg:
Plavix & Aspirin--Fusion or Fission?Interested-Participant:
Doctor HandcuffedHealth Business Blog:
Dr F Seems Like a Decent ConsultantAnd Finally, the "What on Earth...?" Category
Matt Shook shows us
what NOT to do when designing a healthcare site (via
webpagesthatsuck.com). You may need your sound turned up to fully appreciate this one.
That's all folks! Thanks for your submissions, and I look forward to hosting again sometime soon.