Is FOAM to blame when a medical error occurs?

What if a resident-physician attempted a technique she read on a blog or listened to on a podcast, but the procedure didn’t go as planned and the patient was harmed? Is Free Open Access Meducation (FOAM) to blame for medical errors? What about the blog site? If the site has a disclaimer (like most medical databases), is it enough to limit liability?

These are challenging questions, but ones that deserve discussion, especially in light of the recent post on St. Emlyn’s blog about a theoretical scenario just like this.

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By Bryan D. Hayes, PharmD, DABAT, FAACT, FASHP|2017-03-05T14:18:36-08:00Sep 17, 2013|Medical Education, Social Media & Tech|

ALiEM Bookclub: The House of God

Written as satire when published first, The House of God polarized the medical community. Doctors in training cheered the book as a voice for their generation to describe the grueling nature of medical training. Others were appalled by the crass language and apparent lack of humanity when describing patient care. Reading the book became a rite of passage for young trainees. (more…)

By Nikita Joshi, MD|2016-11-11T19:03:47-08:00Sep 13, 2013|Book Club|

MEdIC: The Case of the Difficult Consult – Expert and Community Response

On August 30th I posted the first case of the MEdIC (Medical Education In Cases) series that will be facilitated by Dr. Teresa Chan (@TChanMD) and I (@BoringEM). The Case of the Difficult Consult involved a junior resident in the emergency department who had a consult go bad. Our readers were thrust into the role of an attending physician wanting to help.

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By Brent Thoma, MD MA|2019-06-16T10:04:58-07:00Sep 6, 2013|Expert Peer Review (Non-Clinical), MEdIC series|

Motivation and Self Determination Theory

Motivation is one of those important elements in our personalities that helps us have a drive for improvement. Motivation can come in two flavors internal and external. Self determination theory (SDT) is a psychological term which explains people’s internal motivation and determination to their behavior. Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan explored SDT further and determined there were three basic needs in every human, which are universal, not learned, and seen across gender and culture.

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By Javier Benitez, MD|2017-03-05T14:18:36-08:00Sep 6, 2013|Education Articles, Medical Education|

Welcome ALiEM Resident Editor Dr. Natalie Desouza

There are many things that print journals do well. One of the best ideas that I have seen from the Annals of Emergency Medicine is the unique idea of having a Resident Editor on the executive team. This provides the resident exposure to the behind-the-scenes operational processes of running a journal under a mentored environment. Similarly, ALiEM has experienced such rapid growth in the past year with the addition of amazing regular bloggers that we are ready to welcome our first Resident Editor Dr. Natalie Desouza (UCSF-SFGH EM senior resident).

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By Michelle Lin, MD|2016-11-10T21:24:51-08:00Sep 3, 2013|Medical Education, Social Media & Tech|

Simulation Trick of the Trade: Blindfold the Leader

Simulations are routine now in medical training. But sometimes routine can start to get boring! All learners now know, especially for high fidelity simulations, to prepare for the unexpected. The stable patient will inevitably crash, maybe when your back is turned; the confederate in the room may or may not be a friend or a foe, you may never know! But these twists have become so integral to the simulation case that most learners know how to deal with it, or at the least know to anticipate it. But here is an idea for adding a new challenge to a stale simulation case. Blindfold the leader!

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By Nikita Joshi, MD|2016-11-11T19:03:25-08:00Aug 31, 2013|Medical Education, Simulation, Tricks of the Trade|

Open Educational Resources

The Internet has not only facilitated connectivity between people, but it has also helped us to connect with educational material quite different from that of a physical textbook. We are consuming information at a much more rapid rate, and we are also becoming producers of content online. With the use of hyperlinks we are also connecting one content material with another, allowing for a more dynamic-instantaneous flow of knowledge as opposed to the static print in a physical textbook. People have started seeing the potential that this brings to education and are placing educational content online. These educational materials include lectures, videos, images, textbooks to name a few.

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By Javier Benitez, MD|2018-01-30T02:15:21-08:00Aug 31, 2013|Medical Education, Social Media & Tech|