APA's 2009 annual meeting
has a tremendous variety of content for psychiatrists looking to expand their
knowledge of computer technology. As you know by this issue, the annual
meeting is being held in San Francisco, considered by many to be the"
technology capital" of the United States with Silicon Valley
nearby. To save you some time in scouring the scientific program, I have
highlighted some technology-focused activities available to attendees.
Also, there's good news for attendees who want to stay plugged in while at
the meeting: free wireless access will be available in all public spaces at
the Moscone Center.
Please note that preregistration is required for the courses, and
additional fees apply.
Course 06: How to Blog, Friend, and Fly: 21st Century Internet
Technologies for Beginners
This full-day course will review social networking technologies, blogs,
wikis, and virtual worlds. Attendees will create a Facebook profile, learn how
to invite friends and maintain privacy, learn how to edit content on
Wikipedia, and understand how virtual worlds and computer gaming online impact
their patients.
Course 07: Basic Concepts in Administrative Psychiatry I
Health technology topics include clinical support, safety and privacy,
connectivity strategies, and personalized medicine.
Course 34: Exploring Technologies in Psychiatry
This is a morning course covering electronic communication with patients
and reviews new technologies in Health 2.0 such as online patient communities,
health professional networking, personal health records, and access to health
information via the iPhone and Blackberry. The course will review hardware and
software to enable clinicians to improve their collaboration with colleagues
and communication with patients.
Symposium 44: The Role of Forensic Psychiatry in Evaluating Problematic
Internet Behaviors—Untangling Webs of Deceit From Murder to
Malpractice
Charles Scott, M.D., of the University of California, Davis, will discuss
the forensic psychiatrist's role and risks in the evaluation of sexual
predators and pedophiles who utilize the Internet to share and find
information as well as their victims.
9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Technology and Psychiatry: Practical and Clinical
Tips for Using Telepsychiatry
This workshop is for residents only and will introduce them to
telepsychiatry in clinical practice. It may be worth going back to fellowship
training to qualify as an attendee!
9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Ethical, Clinical, and Legal Challenges Created by
Information Technology
This issue workshop will review the various issues raised with the Health
Information Portability and Accountability Act with regard to health
information technology. Although the solution is not to return to paper, this
workshop will educate attendees on how to recognize and surmount challenges of
moving to an electronic world.
9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Beyond Doctor-Patient Relationship in Cyberspace:
Pitfalls, Transgressions, and Guidelines (When Therapists and Patients Google
Each Other)
This issue workshop discusses how the ability to search for information on
the Internet impacts the doctor-patient relationship. Attendees will learn how
to maintain their privacy and what information they should glean from the
Internet.
9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Saved by the Internet? Psychiatric Administration
and Generation X
The APA Committee on Psychiatric Administration and Management will review
the challenges of educating and monitoring the technology used by today's new
physicians, who are all too comfortable sharing information via e-mail, social
networking, and blogging.
9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Promise and Perils of Electronic Health Record
Adoption in Private Practice Psychiatry
The APA Corresponding Committee on Electronic Health Records will review
the benefits and problems with electronic medical records. This update to last
year's presentation will highlight what features to look for in choosing a
system.
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Implementing a Telepsychiatry Program in the Kern
County Mental Health System in Rural California
This issue workshop will teach attendees about the technical as well as
resource challenges in implementing telepsychiatry in a rural setting.
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: The Settings of Psychiatry: From Telepsychiatry
to the Emergency Room
This scientific and clinical report will discuss how telepsychiatry has
been implemented for emergency psychiatric services.
The American Association for Technology in Psychiatry, whose Web site is<www.techpsych.org>,
will host its annual meeting on Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The keynote speaker is Gary Small, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the
UCLA Semel Institute. He will discuss the concept of "digital
natives" and "digital immigrants" in his recently published
book, iBrain. Professional networking, electronic medical records,
personal health records, and security on the Internet will be reviewed.
In creating this technology track for APA attendees, I made an unfortunate
discovery that many of the workshops, courses, and symposia are being held
simultaneously. Although APA has its annual meeting recorded on CD-ROM for
audio review, undoubtedly the day will soon be here when sessions can be
recorded on a digital video receiver programmed from a cell phone or available
for download on iTunes.
If you have other technology questions or ideas for topics for future"
Connections" columns, I hope to "connect" with you at
the annual meeting. In the meantime, you can send them to
pnews@psych.org.▪