I'll be updating less frequently over the next few days. Our family is moving out of the home we've lived in for the past 10 years. It's sad to leave … Here's a zung scale, a reliable and useful screening tool for depression. A PDF version is available here made available from our pals at Glaxowellcome.

Speaking of the pharmaceutical industry, most companies have registered the domain names of their products. Try typing www.drugname.com .. and see what you get… prozac.com … biaxin.com … I think that this sort of advertising is OK .. and can be useful. I sometimes use this strategy to quickly find the package insert for a new medication. I am concerned, however, about pharmaceutical companies registering domain names for a condition. My favorite example of this rotten form of advertising is www.kidsears.com. This website is an adversement for azithromycin, an agent that (in my opinion) should only very rarely be used in the treatment of otitis media.

I can't resist linking to this: Clinton to shop online. … (
and here's a link to his
radio address today.

NOAH: New York Online Access to Health has a wealth of medical information in both English and Spanish.

John Faughnan's Family Physician's Web Starter is a good internet starting point. I sometimes use this when I teach physicians about the internet.

Patients who want to clearly convey a birthplan to their healthcare provider can use BirthPlan.com!. This site has useful patient information on labor & delivery, with good examples and suggestions for planning a delivery. I encourage patients to make a birth plan. It facilitates communication about the birthing process before delivery.

The internet is about connections: Net Brings Hope to Sick From Worlds Away

Confused about informatics & Healthcare terminology? The Glossary at Healthcare Informatics will help.

Another resource from "across the pond:" The Journal of Informatics in Primary Care. I've added this to the "sites of the week" section on the docnotes links page.

The 10th computer conference of the Royal Austrailian College of General Practitioners will be held in February.

The economics of healthcare is complex and confusing for many (most?) practicing physicians. In our region, many of he dialysis facilities are now owned by a for-profit company. This week's New England Journal of Medicine features an article that casts a shadow on this trend.