Guide to new technology

Medical blogs/RSS feeds

A blog is an online personal journal, frequently updated, comprising links and postings. RSS is the format used when delivering content, allowing people to monitor their favourite websites in an automated manner that's easier than checking them manually. An RSS feed can include: blogs, journal tables of contents, auto alerts, news, etc.

To receive content, you need to set up a reader. There are many available, including an inbuilt one in Internet Explorer 7. A widely-used web-based reader is Google Reader.
How to set up Google Reader and regularly receive blogs/RSS feeds

Australian blogs/RSS feeds

We have found very few Australian medical blogs. Please tell us about any not listed here:

Andersthesiology: about anaesthesia by a Melbourne anaesthetist
Australian health information technology: commentary on the progress of e-health in Australia
Australian professional liability blog
Chronicles of a medical student in Melbourne based in Heidelberg
Clinicians speak out
Health matters: Australian Broadcasting Corporation's online gateway to health
Health and nursing issues Australia
Division of Nursing & Midwifery e-learning blog: from LaTrobe University
Tech'N'Health: a blog about technology, e-health, telemedicine, etc
Vitualis' medical rants: NSW GP Registrar

Medical PDA blogs

Other blogs/feeds

Medworm
The quickest way to start receiving blogs/RSS feeds. It links to many different blogs on one site: personal blogs, news feeds and journal feeds. After registering (free) you can subscribe via speciality, blog area and medical conditions.
Medical news feeds
List of healthcare professional authored blogs
List of nurses' blogs
How to set up a feed of new articles from a journal via PubMed
List of RSS feeds for biomedical and health journals
Find your journal in the list, right mouse click over the orange RSS symbol and 'Copy shortcut', then paste it into your reader.

The best way to find good blogs is to subscribe to some recommended ones, see what they are looking at and add them to your list. Popular blogs/feeds include Clinical Cases & Images, Kevin M.D., GruntDoc (both US), NHS Blog Doctor (UK), Code Blog: tales of a nurse.

Writing a blog
For those of you wanting to Blog, Blogger.com is popular and has easy to follow instructions. You might also want to look at a Healthcare blogger code of ethics.

Podcasts

A podcast is a digital media file posted on the Internet. With podcasting, users can receive new files automatically by subscription (free).

Journal Junkie: provides abstract summaries from some of the highest impact medical journals as downloadable audio
List of Medical podcasts: from the Krafty Librarian

Medical Wikis

A Wiki is a website or similar online resource which allows users to add and edit content collectively

Ganfyd
Free medical knowledge base that anyone can read and any registered medical practitioner may edit. Ganfyd is a collaborative medical reference by medical professionals and invited non-medical experts. It is also indexed on TRIP database.
List of Medical Wikis: from David Rothman

Chat / Instant messaging / IM

Chat is real-time communication between two people based on typed text, conveyed via computers connected over a network.
The Austin Health Library offers 2 chat services:

During office hours: Ask a Librarian service (Austin Intranet only)
After hours: Chasing the Sun for urgent after-hours patient-related help. (Austin Intranet only)

Please note that the Austin Health Library is not responsible for the content of any of the external sites listed in this section, nor any of the views expressed on individual sites.