Social Network for Physicians to Share Medical Information

Dr. Ken WallaceKen Wallace, MD, a Diplomate of the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS), has co-founded the Notebook of Medicine, a social networking app for doctors. The goal of this medical app is to make the world a healthier place by allowing doctors to share health care information without being limited by traditional boundaries. Dr. Wallace says the app enables physicians from around the world to help each other provide timely and quality care for patients by sharing notes and getting second opinions from other doctors.

Dr. Wallace believes the app fills a vital need for a usable and updated medical reference. For many years, he says, he had been frustrated by how medical information was presented in texts or in lectures. He found it either repetitive, or delivered with the presenter’s idiosyncratic spin, and, as it is with medical school notes, he had a hard time keeping all the information together. So he spent 10 years working to create his own notebook of sorts – the Notebook of Medicine.

In the United States, about 12 million patients are misdiagnosed every year, according to Dr. Wallace. In other countries, that number is alarmingly higher. Sharing information on the app can help to fix that, he says.

The Notebook of Medicine provides doctors with a searchable database of 4.5 million clinical, diagnostic, and treatment records of almost every disease known to medicine. Logically arranged using a patent pending system, these records contain notes, images, and videos shared by doctors around the world. Currently, the database has more than 36,268 clinical and pathological images on various diseases, and that number continues to rise.

Doctors can keep the information they obtain from the Notebook app as a private reference or they can share it with other doctors. Of course, if shared, it’s done in full compliance with HIPAA standards.

Doctors can use the Notebook of Medicine in a variety of ways. A doctor can follow other doctors and receive notifications when they post. For example, a doctor working in a remote region of Africa can follow a renowned heart surgeon in the U.S. for any helpful medical information. This information could be notes and opinions about treatment options, or even a video or images of the surgeon performing a procedure. A doctor can also use the app to follow information about a disease or organ and receive a notification when someone posts information – in the form of notes, images or video – about that disease or organ. Doctors can also use the app to ask other physicians for their medical opinions, so a physician who is uncertain about a patient’s symptoms can share images or video when asking another doctor for a second opinion.

As doctors post information, other docs may review and rate it. Doctors who share quality content will be recognized as experts in that area, thus acquiring more followers, and potentially improving the quality of health care worldwide through the spread of medical knowledge.

Every human deserves quality health care regardless of where they’re born or whether they’re rich or poor, Dr. Wallace says, and the Notebook of Medicine helps to teach other physicians to become better physicians. “We share because we care,” he says.

By recognizing a shortcoming in today’s healthcare system and creating a medical app as a practical solution, Dr. Wallace exemplifies the commitment of ABPS Diplomates to providing the highest level of patient care possible. Contact the ABPS to learn more about how physician board certification through one of our Member Boards promotes the fellowship of practitioners who share best practice techniques. The ABPS is the multispecialty certifying body of the American Association of Physician Specialists, Inc.®

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On October 18, 2007, President George W. Bush released Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21 (HSPD-21), calling on our nation, among other initiatives, to “collectively support and facilitate the establishment of a discipline of disaster health”. It is a great testament to the wisdom and foresight of the American Board of Physician Specialties that it immediately set to work and created, within the short span of only one year, an educational blueprint and set of certification examinations, both written and oral, for a new subspecialty of disaster medicine—and it is why I chose to be part this vital initiative and this wonderful organization. This is but one of the many innovative programs initiated by the American Board of Physician Specialties over the years, and why I am proud to support its work on behalf of our nation’s public health.

Art Cooper, MD
Disaster Medicine
When the American Board of Physician Specialties offered to host the American Board of Integrative Medicine, ABPS became a landmark organization working to move medicine into the twenty first century. Certifying physicians who have completed rigorous academic training in Integrative Medicine ensures that the field of Integrative Medicine will continue to develop academically, clinically, and professionally. The leadership of ABPS continues to impress me - they are diligent in constantly innovating to provide certifications for physicians who want to advance their careers and their areas of expertise. I am honored to be a part of this organization.

Ann Marie Chiasson, MD
Integrative Medicine
There are many ways board certification advances a physician career. ABPS Board examination verifies your accuracy, precision, and reflects your mastery of your residency training verifying your expertise. ABPS Board certification demonstrates your level of expertise beyond your practice experience, primary education degrees, and training which are necessary for insurance reimbursement and practice privilege requirements. Attaining your ABPS Board Certification will clarify your purpose, secure your practice growth, and expand into leadership positions. Board certification can serve as an indication of a physician’s commitment to medicine, beyond the minimal standards and competency of training, their measurement to quality of care, and attaining an award for excellence.

Chris Kunis MD
Internal Medicine
When I think historically, advancement in medicine and patient safety and care has been driven by the diversity of people and scientific thought. That’s what I found at the ABPS and more. For over 60 years that is just who we are. I found a physician certifying body that provides a choice and voice to all physicians ensuring that patients are always placed first.

Jerry Allison, MD
Emergency Medicine
When I decided to pursue a full time role as a physician executive it was important to me to obtain additional professional training, education and work experience. Board certification through the ABPS in Administrative Medicine is validation of my efforts and a demonstration of dedication to professional development. We need more physicians to become full time health care executives, knowing there is a board certification option in Administrative Medicine encourages physicians to take the leap from full time clinical practice to healthcare organizational leadership.

Richard Paula, MD
Administrative Medicine
The American Board of Physician Specialties has provided me with the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of internal medicine through board certification. As a hospitalist, board certification is an expected credential, and hospitals recognize the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) as one of the three standard credentialling bodies for Internal Medicine. Additionally, the ABPS has helped me develop leadership skills as a Board member and Committee Chairperson. ABPS has also helped me sharpen critical thinking skills as a test question developer and reviewer. The Allopathic (MD) and Osteopathic (DO) physicians in the ABPS are lifelong learners and frequently pursue multiple board certifications. I enjoy the camaraderie of my peers in ABPS.

Loren Jay Chassels, DO
Internal Medicine