Is Medical Blogging Doomed

Great, I'm blogging less than two months and now I read that medical blogging may be on the way to oblivion. The medium's poor prognosis is based on the recent demise of two popular blogs, Flea and Fat Doctor. Kevin MD has a good look at the issue with several comments and a resumé of other opinions. It appears that many are in a bit of a funk, concerned, if not worried, that the medium is in trouble. Legal issues, unsurprisingly, seem to be at the root, with many expressing concern that lawyers may step in if patients are somehow identified or their management revealed. Anonymity is, of course, impossible to maintain with a determined lawyer on the case. Some have resolved to avoid talking about patient encounters altogether; yikes, what kind of solution is that? From the day we get into medical school and crack the first book, what we really want to do is see patients. Patients, disease and treatments. Throughout residency we learn by experience, our own and others'. It's the way we learn and I don't think we can just turn it off. If we're not talking patients then we're probably not talking medicine. And if we're not talking medicine then we'll all end up squawking about the latest creationist lunacy or alternative medicine scam. Great fun for sure, but not really medical blogging. No, I think I'll have to put my faith in #1 Dinosaur who believes it's just a part of the normal rythm of the blogosphere, or DB, who after five years of blogging plans to keep right on going....Five years!

Comments

[uure]

wow nice!f

[Tim]

Wow!!!^

[George Melcher]

Maybe the reason why they wanted to stop that is for their patients' privacy. I'm just guessing, okay? Correct me if I'm wrong. If the blogging's going to resume, I guess just talking about the latest findings in medicine would be a good idea to keep things up and running.