"Personal road map for recovery:" examining the therapeutic use of weblogs by stroke survivors with aphasia.

BACKGROUND: Strokes are a leading cause of disability in the United States. Approximately 25-40% of individuals who experience a stroke will have aphasia. Individuals with aphasia experience many life changes and some have found that writing activities, such as publishing text entries on a personal website, or weblog, to be therapeutic. PURPOSE: This study aimed to gain a greater understanding of the therapeutic use of blogs for stroke survivors with aphasia. DESIGN: Inductive qualitative content analysis. METHODS: Potential, publicly available weblogs written by people with aphasia were identified using a pre-determined search method and five met inclusion criteria. Data were collected from websites and collated into 453 pages of narratives. An inductive qualitative content analysis process was used to extract codes that were reduced to sub-categories and generic categories. RESULTS: A main category of therapeutic healing and three generic categories of (1) living with aphasia, (2) accepting a new identity, and (3) creating a community were identified. CONCLUSION: Weblog writing was therapeutic for stroke survivors with aphasia. Authors reported benefits across cognitive, psychological, emotional, and social domains. Health professionals should consider recommending weblog writing, journaling, or other methods of writing for stroke survivors with aphasia.Implications for rehabilitationCreating illness weblog posts can be therapeutically beneficial for stroke survivors with aphasia as a tool that addresses psychological, emotional, and social aspects in their recovery.Blogging appeared to offer a medium for stroke survivors with aphasia to practice writing, to express what living with aphasia is like, to explore changes in their post-stroke identities, and to create a community with others.Health professionals should consider recommending weblog writing, journaling, or other methods of writing for stroke survivors with aphasia.

The effect of self-management education through weblogs on the quality of life of diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND: Self-management education of diabetes which is one of the most important noncommunicable diseases worldwide involves facilitating knowledge, skills, and ability required for self-care in these patients. Concerning the progressive growth of use of Internet for educating patients and absence of different studies about education through use of weblogs in patients with diabetes in Iran, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of self-management education through weblogs on the quality of life of affect the patients. METHODS: This study was performed as intervention on patients referring to diabetes clinic of Talghani hospital in Kermanshah in winter 2018 and spring 2019. The samples consisted of 98 patients with diabetes chosen through available sampling and randomly assigned into study and control groups. For data collection, diabetes quality of life (DQOL) short form clinical questionnaire, Persian version, was used. The intervention involved training self-management conducted through 60 sessions via a designed weblog. The obtained information was introduced into SPSS 21, and analyzed through Mann-Whitney, t-test, and paired t-test. RESULTS: According to the results of this study, the mean age of the examined patients was 32.1 ± 4.9 years, where the major participants were male (n = 52 in the test group, 52.5%). The results showed that after the intervention, the test and control groups were different in terms of anthropometric variables and metabolic indicators; the mean waist circumference in the test and control groups was 98.6 ± 9.8 and 101.5 ± 7.8, respectively; the mean FBS following the intervention in the test and control groups was 131.08 ± 16.04 and 238.2 ± 40, respectively; and the mean BMI postintervention in the test and control groups was obtained as 27.3 ± 3.4 and 30.1 ± 3.8 respectively, where these differences were significant according to independent t-test (p < 0.05). The mean score of quality of life postintervention in the test and control groups was obtained as 56.1 and 49.9 respectively; according to Mann-Whitney test, the difference between the two groups was significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study revealed the positive effect of weblog based self-management on the quality of life of patients with diabetes following the intervention. Further, reduced levels of FBS, BMI, as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure were also observed, which could be due to increased awareness of patients about their abilities, its risks, as well as the ways to control and treat it.

The surgical blog: An important supplement to traditional scientific literature.

BACKGROUND: Blogging is a new and innovative means of information exchange in the surgical community. We examined the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) blog to understand its audience and most read content. METHODS: Google Analytics was used to assess the AWS blog site data. A search was performed from February 2018 to February 2019. Demographic data, blog posts, and tags sorted by unique pageviews were recorded. RESULTS: There were 31,221 unique pageviews during the search period. The AWS Blog readership was mostly women (75%), ages 25-44 years (70.3%). The three tags that elicited the most pageviews were "residency (16.95%)," "medical students (12.12%)," and "family life (10.38%)." The most read blog post was responsible for 9.7% of total pageviews. DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION: Most of the AWS Blog readership are young, women, and interested in content related to graduate and postgraduate medical education or family life. Blogging may be a good vehicle for topics not covered in traditional scientific literature.

The weight loss blogosphere: an online survey of weight loss bloggers.

Blogging is a form of online journaling that has been increasingly used to document an attempt in weight loss. Despite the prevalence of weight loss bloggers, few studies have examined this population. We examined characteristics of weight loss bloggers and their blogs, including blogging habits, reasons for blogging, like and dislikes of blogging, and associations between blogging activity and weight loss. Participants (N = 194, 92.3 % female, mean age = 35) were recruited from Twitter and Facebook to complete an online survey. Participants reported an average weight loss of 42.3 pounds since starting to blog about their weight loss attempt. Blogging duration significantly predicted greater weight loss during blogging (ß = -3.65, t(185) = -2.97, p = .003). Findings suggest that bloggers are generally successful with their weight loss attempt. Future research should explore what determines weight loss success/failure in bloggers and whether individuals desiring to lose weight would benefit from blogging.

Significados sobre la prevención del riesgo de VIH en cibernautas con trastorno bipolar / The meaning of the prevention of HIV among internet users with bipolar disorder

Introduction The persons with affective bipolar disorder (ABD) constitute a vulnerable group to the infection of HIV; in spite of that, there has been little investigation about the preventive culture in this population. Objective To identify the meanings and practices about the prevention of the risk of HIV infection with persons having bipolar disorders, active members of the weblog "Foro Bipolarmexico". Methodology A quality ethnographic type study was carried out on the Mexican weblog, directed by and for persons with ABD. The sampling of forums of expression published from 2007 to 2010 were positive. An analysis of the contained inductive thematic was conducted and the ATLAS.ti was utilized for the process of the information. Results The meanings and the conditions implied in the construction of the practices on the prevention of the risk of transmission of HIV cover three levels: a) physic-biologic, where the symptomatology associated with the disorder is identified, and the use of medications are implicated in the altercation of desires and sexual practices; before this, the bloggers propose the execution of activities which would permit the canalization of sexual impulse, the change of medication and use of preservatives; b) the micro-social, in which enhanced conditions like communication deficiency with their psychiatrists and similarities on the disorders and their effects on sexuality, for which they promote open discussion on the changes experienced; and c) the macro-social, where the stigma of the disease is expressed in solitude and the difficulty of stable couples to relate, conditions that could counteract, so they suggested, with the social recognition of their potentials. The emphasis on the recuperation of significance constructed socially clearly showed that it is urgent to consider directed towards not only preventive interventions, but also to micro and macro social conditions which have a part in the vulnerability and infection of HIV.

Introducción Las personas con trastorno afectivo bipolar (TAB) constituyen un grupo vulnerable al contagio del VIH; a pesar de ello, poco se ha investigado sobre la cultura preventiva en esta población. Objetivo Identificar los significados y prácticas sobre la prevención del riesgo de transmisión de VIH en personas con trastorno bipolar, miembros activos del weblog "Foro Bipolarmexico". Metodología Se realizó un estudio cualitativo de tipo etnográfico en una weblog mexicana, dirigida por y para personas con TAB. El muestreo de foros de expresión publicados de 2007 a 2010 fue propositivo. Se realizó un análisis de contenido temático inductivo y para el procesamiento de la información se utilizó el software ATLAS.ti. Resultados Los significados y las condiciones implicadas en la construcción de prácticas sobre la prevención del riesgo de transmisión de VIH abarcan tres niveles: a) el psicobiológico, donde se identifica que la sintomatología asociada al trastorno y el uso de medicamentos están implicados en la alteración de deseos y prácticas sexuales; ante esto los blogueros proponen realizar actividades que permitan la canalización del impulso sexual, el cambio de medicamentos y utilizar preservativos; b) el microsocial, en el cual destacaron condiciones como la deficiente comunicación con sus psiquiatras y parejas sobre el trastorno y su efecto en la sexualidad, por lo que ellos promueven la discusión abierta sobre los cambios experimentados y c) el macrosocial, donde el estigma de la enfermedad se expresa en el aislamiento y dificultad para relacionarse con parejas estables, condiciones que podrían contrarrestarse, según sugieren, con el reconocimiento social de sus potencialidades. El énfasis en la recuperación de significados construidos socialmente evidenció que es apremiante considerar intervenciones preventivas dirigidas tanto a las prácticas de riesgo individuales como hacia las condiciones microsociales y macrosociales que participan en la vulnerabilidad al contagio de VIH.

El blog, una herramienta de la web para potenciar el proceso docente educativo en las carreras de las Ciencias Médicas / The blog: a web tool for potentiating the teaching-learning process in Medical Sciences careers

Con el avance acelerado de la Internet y el desarrollo tecnológico, han aparecido en el entorno académico variadas herramientas que potencian la calidad del proceso educativo. Una de ellas, el blog, es fácil de usar y permite mayor interacción entre los actores del proceso. Se pueden generar blogs personales e institucionales. Su principal objetivo es facilitar la accesibilidad y gestión de contenidos, así como la gestión de la información para construir conocimiento. Los profesores de las ciencias médicas y el personal profesional de la salud cubana deben incrementar su capacitación en el manejo de estas y otras herramientas de las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones de manera que contribuyan a incrementar la calidad y eficiencia de la labor que realizan en el ámbito de la docencia, la asistencia, la investigación y la gestión en salud(AU)

Several tools potentiating the educative process quality have appeared in the academic surroundings with the accelerated advance of Internet and the technological development. One of them, the blog, is easy to use and allows a greater interaction between the actors of the process. There could be generated personal and institutional blogs. Their main objective is facilitating accessibility and contents management, and also the information management to build knowledge. The professors of the medical sciences and Cuban health professionals should increase their skills in the usage of this and other information and communication technologies tools as a way for increasing their performance quality and efficiency in the fields of teaching, health care, research and management(AU)