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Web 2.0 has forever changed the way pathologists and clinical lab professionals go about their business. Digital imaging is quickly becoming ubiquitous in the clinical lab industry, and laboratories are continually coming up with new ways to use technology to communicate with their patients, clients and colleagues. A few trendsetting lab professionals are also showing how useful blogging can be for education, networking and marketing. Dark Daily has compiled a list of trendsetting clinical laboratory professionals who are dedicated to blogging about clinical laboratory and anatomical pathology issues. Dark Daily’s “Blog Roll” showcases some of the most prolific bloggers in the field today. We’ve hand selected these blogs based on the following criteria:
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| Labsurfer Blog Labsurfer.org is a Networking Community for Hospital Laboratory Professionals. Members can create a personal profile, start their own blog, or invite professional peers from local geographies or across the globe to discuss focused Healthcare topics in our forum areas.(Example: Someone working in Transfusion Services in California may find a better way to cold-store tissue from a Transfusions forum member in India, France, or Florida). Sources in the Healthcare industry believe networking communities like LabSurfer.org will revolutionize the way Medical Laboratory professionals share information. The Best part of this network is that it is currently free for all who wish to join! |
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| Digital Pathology Blog As documented in the Dark Daily, Keith J. Kaplan, MD is one pathologist who is taking advantage of every aspect of Web 2.0. Kaplan, an Associate Professor of Medicine and Pathology at the Mayo Clinic, regularly updates his blog, which covers news and trends in Digital Pathology. Kaplan’s “Case of the Week” explores the application of new digital pathology technology by examining a unique digital slide each week. Kaplan’s blog stays abreast of advances in Digital Pathology and research and development while keeping an ear to the ground for topics that fall “outside of the box.” |
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| The 1x Objective The 1X Objective is maintained by Albany Medical Center surgical pathology resident, Karl Robstad, MD. Not only does Robstad provide links and opinions on current news pertinent to the world of lab medicine, but his blog also creates an opportunity to actually watch a fledgling pathologist’s career evolve from its infancy. Robstad shares all of his successes and failures with the world as he builds a career as a surgical pathologist. Robstad uses the blog as an educational tool and a link to his fellow pathologists. The 1X Objective represents a new generation of pathologists who are comfortable in a digital world because it is the only one they have ever known. |
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| ClinLab Navigator Blog Fred V. Plapp, MD PHD is the author of “Essentials of Transfusion Medicine.” The Kansas City-based, board certified Clinical Pathologist regularly updates his ClinLab Navigator Blog, which details explanations of laboratory tests, transfusion guidelines, method evaluation protocols, test utilization guidelines and algorithms. His goal is to create a virtual space suitable for all clinical laboratory professionals to gather and share their experiences. Plapp keeps a close eye on the consumer market and monitors general pathology trends. |
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| Sumer’s Radiology Site Award winning blogger Sumer Sethi bills his blog as “one of the first movers in rad blogging.” And given that he has been consistently blogging about radiology since 2004, that sounds like a reasonable claim. The India-based Radiologist was one of the first healthcare experts to recognize the potential of blogging. Sethi’s blog has been featured in the Times of India and received a 2005 Medical Weblog Award for Best Clinical Weblog. Sethi’s blog largely relies on digital images to share his opinions and start dialog with other pathologists. |
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| RadGirl Radiology Blog RadGirl Radiology Blog is written by an anonymous female radioligist. Of all of the pathology related blogs on the net, RadGirl’s blog is probably the most eclectic. In her own words, the blog covers “random topics about my personal and professional life as a radiologist.” Whether she is suffering from “The Written Board Blues” or discussing her disdain for pulmonary nodules, RadGirl offers a different lens through which readers can keep up with the news of the day in radiology. |
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| Geek in the Lab Pedro Fonseca has been an IT healthcare specialist for more than 15 years. It is clear while poking through Geek in the Lab that Fonseca is passionate about information technology as it relates to healthcare. “Geek in the Lab” is laid out so that IT professionals can keep up with the latest in healthcare technology, but it is written in a way that is accessible to the laymen. While many similar blogs are full of difficult to understand technical jargon, Fonseca makes sure his blog is easy for all readers to understand. Far from a “How To” advice column, “Geek in the Lab” keeps track of healthcare IT trends and offers observations on how they may impact the big picture. Fonseca’s “Gadget of the Week” gives readers a glimpse of the latest in IT tech. |
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| The Daily Scan The Daily Scan is a mix of news tracking and “How To” pieces regarding information technology in the field of pathology. The blog is the brainchild of Ole Eichhorn, CTO of Aperio Technologies, a diagnostics company in San Diego California that makes Digital Pathology systems. Eichhorn’s “Chalk Tips” posts use his tech savvy to simplify technology that may otherwise be intimidating. But the site is not strictly instructional. The Daily Scan offers tips on how to get the most out of healthcare technology and software, but Eichhorn’s also uses his IT perspective to follow trends in the clinical laboratory industry. |
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| Lab Soft News Bruce Friedman, MD developed Lab Soft News to keep readers posted about the clinical lab industry with an eye toward clinical lab software. Friedman, recipient of the Association for Pathology Informatics’ 2006 Honorary Fellow Award, uses his blog as a platform to highlight important news stories and software breakthroughs. Judging by the extensively linked network displayed on his blog, Friedman has become an integral cog in a pathology blogging network that is changing the way pathologists communicate and network with their peers. |
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| LeanBlog Mark Graban’s Leanblog.org is a one stop shop for healthcare professionals looking to learn all things “lean.” Lean is a set of management practices based on the Toyota Production System (TPS) which many laboratories have implemented to improve efficiency and patient care. Graban is currently a Senior Fellow at the Lean Enterprise Institute. On top of his prolific blogging on the topic, Graban also wrote a book on the subject titled “Lean Hospitals” . Leanblog.org is aimed at readers who want to learn what “Lean Production” is for the first time and those who want already know about Lean but want to stay in the loop. |
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| Medical Laboratory Quality Blog Dr. Michael Noble MD FRCPC (Quality Guy) is a Medical Microbiologist in Canada with a long-standing interest in medical laboratory quality (a Medical Qualitologist?). As the chair of a proficiency testing program, and a program office for laboratory quality management, and as a medical director for quality and a quality consultant, he has had the opportunity to develop a definite point of view on making medical laboratory quality relevant to patient care. Themes of costs of poor quality and development of culture of quality and clinical relevancy of laboratory testing and results are a common focus.The goal of www.medicallaboratoryquality.com is to create a space for dialogue that will move the discussion of laboratory quality forward and beyond quality control and mandated proficiency testing. |
