Module 5

Why would a patient want to create a blog? What might they gain from this?
I have actually followed a few parent's blogs regarding their child's experience in the NICU, PICU, and with living with a chronic disease. For the families, sharing their experiences can be therapeutic and it offers them a forum to express their emotions. When I was pregnant with my daughter I blogged on a regular basis to keep my family and friends notified of how I was progressing (I am from Delaware and have been living in Utah since well before my daughter's birth). Blogging allows families and friends to communicate with one another--to share photos and memories and is easily accessible as well.

Why would a health care provider create a blog?
There are many reasons a healthcare provider would create a blog. They could use the forum to share important information about common illnesses, immunizations, healthy diet and activity information. Since I plan on working in pediatrics, I think blogging would be helpful in reminding parents about school physicals, immunization schedules, preventing chronic illnesses/conditions and advocating for maintenance of a healthy weight. I could post activity suggestions for families--ways to stay fit and involved and advertise local programs that support active parenting.

What are ethical considerations when blogging on a public website, such as we've used for this class?
Ethical considerations include protecting patient confidentiality, ensuring proper credit is given to information sources (citations--avoiding plagiarism) and ensuring that medical advice is not shared on the site. Personal information should be limited to protect the user's family. Overall, it is important to protect privacy of anyone connected to and with the site.