Health and Wellness Blog

This past February, a medical team at Sunnybrook’s Schulich Heart Centre live tweeted a coronary bypass artery graft procedure for the first time in Canada. The medical team explained why they decided to involve the public via social media using the handle #SBheart. The doctors even took time out to Skype with a grade five class about the procedure. It got me thinking about the broader picture of electronic communication, social media and medicine. One Toronto-area specialist responded to my questions via email and text. The sheer convenience of this service encouraged me to rank this doctor higher on Rate My MD. Reasons abound as to why many doctors are reluctant to communicate with their patients via personal telecommunications or social media.

For those who want to see more surgical procedures, Toronto Public Library’s Academic OneFile and Health Reference Center Academic databases now feature live surgery videos and photos ranging from plastic surgery to vascular surgeries to spinal surgeries. Exciting stuff!

For the not so faint-of-heart re-live the moment when #SBheart doctors stop the patient's heart.