Maarten Declercq

Google flu trends

maartendeclercq — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:57:45 +0000

There is a remarkable relationship between actual epidemiologic data and flu oriented google searches. Actual epedemiologic data is collected by health institutions and is based on actual reports of the number of afflicted people. Similarily, when more people are sick then they also want to be informed about their disease. Looking for medical information on the internet has become almost a natural reflex for many people. As they look for information google can bundle those searches based on selected key words related to flu.

When charted out these two graphs – the epedemiologic data and the google searches – share mostly the same trends and characteristics.

Bottom line: Google flu trends can be a valuable tool in tracking epidemiology outbreaks. In the future this concept will definitively be expanded to other disease areas.

Medical education

maartendeclercq — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:41:34 +0000

Moving

maartendeclercq — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:21:12 +0000

The only method of getting forward and ahead is just getting started.

I am refreshing many of my side-projects that I have been working on. This website will serve as a portal linking to those projects. I have tried to build a purpose backing those up.

Whole lotta…

Health startups

maartendeclercq — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:46:11 +0000

Here you can find an analysis by Rock Health of the current state of health technology startups and investments.

Rock Report: State of Digital Health

Six degrees of separation

maartendeclercq — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:58:00 +0000

It is a remarkable insight that everybody on this globe can be linked with anybody else in just six steps. The six degrees of separation comes from advances in a new field of research called Network Science. The foundations of this research traces back hundreds of years ago but recent advances stem from the past 20 years.

Research by the Network Science Center at the West Point militairy academy changed the warfare strategies used in the second Gulf war. Luckily, network science can also be used for the benefit of the planet. Increasingly network thinking is being adopted in many other fields like informatics, microbiology, sociology and medicine.

There is even a charitable SixDegrees.org charitable initiative by Kevin Bacon. This followed the funny trivia game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

Below you can a series of 3 videos from the documentairy Connected: The Power of Six Degrees.

Connected: The Power of Six Degrees part 1

Connected: The Power of Six Degrees part 2

Connected: The Power of Six Degrees part 3

Health policy and systems research

maartendeclercq — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:01:00 +0000

China rural health care

maartendeclercq — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:20:32 +0000

People That Deliver

maartendeclercq — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:52:02 +0000

Positive health outcomes require access to medicines and other health supplies, which in turn demands excellent performance from complex health supply chains. The health supply chain workforce therefore has an essential role in achieving global health goals, including the Millennium Development Goals for improving maternal health, reducing child mortality, and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Rapidly increasing health assistance from multilateral and bilateral donors has significantly benefited health programs, but has also resulted in huge increases in the quantity, value and complexity of supplies flowing through public health supply chains. The health supply chains of middle and low-income countries, however, are often unable to respond reliably to existing demands, putting both health supplies and health outcomes at risk. Limitations on supply chain performance stem, in part, from the lack of a competent, recognized, and empowered health supply chain workforce.

The status of the supply chain workforce in low and middle-income country health systems stands in marked contrast to their status in the modern private sector, where supply chain management is recognized as a key strategic function that is as instrumental to institutional success. Many low- and middle-income health systems do not recognize that technical and managerial competencies are necessary for good supply chain management, do not require such competencies for those managing the supply chain, do not provide incentives to retain experienced supply chain staff, and do not involve supply chain managers in relevant decision-making processes. Under these circumstances, health supply chains are unlikely to perform to the standards desired by countries and development partners.

A broad group of governments and organizations have therefore united for People That Deliver. This is a joint initiative that will raise the profile of supply chain management as a key strategic function of health systems and promote and support workforce excellence in health supply chain management.

Support People That Deliver

Mobile Health

maartendeclercq — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:36:09 +0000

The field of mobile health is an emerging multi-headed beast. I takes on a completely different shape depending on the way you look at it. First, the playing rules are far from established. It is still unclear how mobile techology can be effectively used to improve health outcomes. Many of the business concepts that are being developed still need to prove their viability. Second, there are several types of companies entering this market. Large established companies tweaking existing products or systems by adding a mobile platform. Small companies are developing disruptive technologies that can complety alter the health care landscape. Third, the approach towards mHealth is highly dependant on the kind of market that is being addressed. In developed countries the focus currently seems to lie on the rising uptake of smartphones by both consumers and health care professionals. In developing countries where mobile networks have reached even the most remote areas there are huge possibilities for SMS-based innovations.

Bottom line: mHealth can and will bring many benefits to patients. The type of services offered come in many different forms.

Health care policy research

maartendeclercq — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:05:28 +0000

A nice mindmap of problems in health policy research