I originally found the topics for week five hard going hence the lateness in this post (sorry Bertha). I have just looked at the reading again and have had a play with some of the sites and got quite excited (it doesn't take much).
Mashups
I went onto the health map global disease alert mapping system http://healthmap.org/
I really liked this site because it was both visual and interesting. It is made up of Google maps with RSS feeds linked into it. The map is has lots of tags on it and just by moving your cursor over it gives you information on reported diseases. The map is searchable ie on the left hand side towards the bottom of the main page you can choose to see just a destination eg Dominican Republic and then you are taken just to that destination (only on the screen - so don't pack your suitcases yet!). The only downside I can think of to this map is the reporting sources, again take the example of the Dominican Republic this is a Third World Country and so you would think would have more reportable diseases, but compared to the US or UK they are less likely to have the media coverage and so less reports would be produced which in effect could make this system a lot less reliable.
Podcasts
I tested the Cardiovascular Multimedia Information Network of the Arizona Heart Institute
http://cvmd.org/ I really liked this site because it had both professional and public videos and MP4 downloads. This meant it could be suggested to patients who are more likely to get more out of watching a video explaining information to them than having reams of papers to read through. The site was free so could be used by anyone and I have even sent the link to one of my colleagues who has had heart problems and has to stick to a strict diet. She has watched the healthy snacking video and said how good it was.
Search Engines
I had a look at rollyo http://www.rollyo.com/ and liked it so much that I registered and have set up my own search engine called 3CST2. I tested it to search for Dementia and got really excited with the results (I really need to get out more!).
I have added a direct link to my own search engine if you would like to try it out just click onto the link at the top of my blog and away you go.
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I have looked at the MDCVD site and have just learnt that I should not be eating hydrogenated fats as they are the trans ones. So, I did find it informative, but a bit too American for me. I do think the idea of podcasts is a good one though, especially to get at those who find reading text boring or difficult (those with dyslexia).
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