Understanding US Health Care Reform

Illustrating Health Reform: How Health Insurance Coverage Will Work: http://healthreform.kff.org/the-animation.aspx.In my recent travels to the US, I couldn't understand American attitudes towards the proposed health care reform. Perhaps with all the hype and political wrangling, it is difficult to understand what is being proposed and its potential impact. This 10-minute animated movie, written and produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation, is an excellent, balanced summary of what is being proposed and why.

Two practical and useful social media guides for research and policy engagement

Social media has a significant impact on how individuals communicate, interact and collaborate and should be an important and necessary component of any researcher’s toolbox. However, there is much to be discovered, explored and understood regarding its capabilities, utilities and practical uses as a tool and mechanism in conducting research. This blog points to two guides: one discusses a tools and how they can be used in research, and the other presents a practical guide to linking research, advocacy and policy.

The what, why and how of implementing Personal Healh Record Systems

The fledgling, but rapidly growing Personal Health Record (PHR) systems market currently has over 200 vendors, so there is a high degree of variability in both the nature and scope of product offerings. This blog post highlights 2 reports that can help in understanding what is available, what is possible, how to make the choice between alternative systems, and the value proposition in implementing a PHR system.

Exciting Development in Open Access Publishing: SpringerOpen

Exciting news about open access information resources in STM! SpringerOpen, a new series of open access journals that will span all STM disciplines. Articles published in SpringerOpen journals will be freely and immediately accessible online, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.