eHealth Interview With Dean Giustini - UBC TICr

to get involved in the area.” What was defining moment in your career which led you to where you are today? “There have been no ‘defining’ moments as such but, certainly in some ways, I have come to ABOUT DEAN of projects. Some American health enjoy my interactions with medical As a reference librarian at UBC, librarians work with informaticians on students and faculty more and more what is the role of eHealth the development of electronic patient each year. Medical students are more in health librarianship and record systems and others developing likely, for example, to ask for help on how did you get involved? reference sources for mobile devices. using wireless devices and searching In Canada, academic health librarians PubMed on their iPhones. I have been “Health librarians have been using are getting involved in undergraduate able to get to know some medical new information technologies since medical curricula as instructors students through my library committee the 1960s when librarians began and teachers and incorporate and many of them are doing research automating their catalogues. Since then, aspects of medical informatics and in other areas of e-health such as medical informatics and evidence- e-health in their work. Because so open access, open source software based practice have become part of the much information is accessible on and telematics – that’s why I enjoy landscape of health care and librarians handheld technologies, I figure it’s e-health because there is such variety.” have gotten involved in all kinds important for me as a health librarian If you weren’t a reference librarian, what would you be/ what profession would you be in (ie, what are your other areas of interest)? “I’d probably work with children. I used to coach 6-9 year old boys in gymnastics and I really love their manic energy and fearlessness. I also enjoy working with geriatric populations and I sometimes go to Page 4

the Purdy Pavilion with a pianist friend I think it’s important for them, as and dedication. Developing a useful and we sing through some old tunes information professionals in a digital wiki takes a lot of hard work. My that the seniors like to sing. While I’m age, to be able to describe what goes suggestion is to ‘keep working’. talking about what might be, I think it on in social networks. Social networks would be cool to live in the 18th century are important for the future of health.” What can we look forward to during Mozart’s time. I’d like to wear seeing from it in the future? those costumes (but I understand hygiene was “My focus is more not the greatest, alas).” on creating useful unique content PROJECTS for Canadian Discuss your projects health librarians (ex. Health Librarian and physicians on Wiki Canada, Open HLWIKI Canada. medicine, The Search I would like health Principle, Social Media professionals to find Course at UBC, etc.) all kinds of useful information and “I’m an advocate of links to knowledge social media and I objects there so that author two blogs, run they can continue a wiki and teach a their learning social media course about e-health at the School of technologies. “ Library, Archival and Information Studies. I think it’s important for all librarians (not just in health) to develop some Tell us about one key issue or event presence in social networks. I also that inspired these projects. SOCIAL MEDIA think that sharing our knowledge What spurred your interest in with others by ‘creating content’ using “My mother inspired me. She social media and your usage/ open tools like wikis is essential in was always telling me to share advocacy of it? Why do you think our long-term survival as a field. my enthusiasm with others.” it’s important in the medical field? On HLWIKI Canada, we write all What stage is the project at currently? “My interest in social media started in kinds of entries on search-related topics 2004 when Google released Google and about social media to help health “Any project these days that involves scholar and doctors were asking professionals get up to speed quickly social tools is ‘evolving’. Some people me for my opinion of it. I thought on the issues. I teach a course on social start to blog and then give up after I’d start blogging about it in early media to student librarians because a while. Blogging takes persistence 2005. I’m coming up to my fifth Page 5

What was your first job? anniversary as a blogger. Since “What I would like to see is then, I’ve experimented with social media taught as part ”My very first job was wikis, podcasts, video and of of an overall ‘media literacy’ shelving books at the local course Twitter. Social media strategy or core set of learning library. I think I was 11.” is important for me because I objectives. It’s important to can interact with really smart understand how the ecosystem If you were stuck on a people from all over the world. of the web relates to medical desert island with only three Social media is important in research that we find in things (inanimate objects), medicine because information PubMed, for example. I think what would they be? can be disseminated and it’s important for Faculties of debated quickly; however, the medicine across Canada to “My laptop. my piano, and a downside is that it compromises consider the most effective way good pillow.” patient confidentiality if it’s of teaching future physicians not used correctly. We all about how to manage What is your one favorite need to be educated about information using computer technological development appropriate use of social media technologies. The challenge from the past 10-15 years? and information technologies is how to add this to the to protect our patients.” curriculum without supplanting “Definitely the web” anatomy or pharmacology.” Do you have any What is your Guilty recommendations for future Where do you see computer Pleasure/Indulgence? social media adopters? technology fitting in to healthcare 20 years from now? “Doing nothing” “If you are interested in knowing about social media, ask your “Computer and information What technology would give favourite medical librarian for technologies are essential to healthcare the biggest bang for help. Perhaps you want to test healthcare in 2010 – in twenty its buck (locally or globally)? - out some ‘e-alerting’ tools like years, who knows? It will be From Dr. Cameron Norman Bloglines or iGoogle; maybe interesting to see how print you want to know how to and paper-based information “A Canadian version of Google search for some top medical is used in 2030. Will we Health or Microsoft Vault” bloggers. Many health librarians need print-based libraries, watch these web 2.0 trends for example? Will patients If you had a question for and can help you get started.” carry their personal genome the next TICr Interviewee, and health records on their what would it be? In your experience dealing iPhones? Will Google present with various medical information to us based on “If you had a million dollars professions, how can we information it gathers from drop from the sky, what teach social media utilization your e-mail and personal would you do with it?” across medical disciplines? correspondence? Time will tell.” Page 6

eHealth Interview With Dean Giustini - UBC TICr

by Dean Giustini

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