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Aussie Rheumatology Registrars & HCSM 3

By Dr Irwin Lim, Rheumatologist

I flew to Canberra today as I was asked to give a talk to all the rheumatology registrars at the Australian Rheumatology Association’s Annual Scientific Meeting on Social Media.

Out of the 20+ people in the room, less than half used Facebook. Only 1 had a twitter account. A couple had heard of LinkedIn.

I didn’t prepare any slides .

Instead, I just showed them my blog, then tweeted, googled myself, signed into LinkedIn, and checked out Facebook.

And I talked.

I explained why I bothered to blog and why I bothered to have an online presence. Of course I had the same fears about social media and “exposing” myself on the web, as they probably had.

But, over time, my views have evolved and the reason I use “health care social media” (HCSM) was to educate, to learn, to connect, to be accessible and to improve the profile of rheumatology.

I think the talk was received well but it’s hard to know.

I’m not sure if anyone in that room will end up taking that next step but it was still worth giving them a different perspective.

Dr Irwin Lim is a rheumatologist and a director of BJC Health.
Arthritis requires an integrated approach. We call this, Connected Care.  Contact us.
This blog focuses on arthritis-related diseases, healthcare in general, and our Connected Care philosophy.
 
Posted on: 12 May 2012
Posted in: Social Media & Communication

Sydney Spondyloarthritis Centre 0

By Dr Irwin Lim, Rheumatologist

Serious diseases need a serious solution.

Australia is a rich country by world standards with a very good health system. It would surprise experts in the field to find that the largest city in the land, Sydney, was without a specialised centre tending to the needs of patients with spondyloarthritis.

BJC Health established the Sydney Spondyloarthritis Centre at the start of this year.

While Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is the headline disease, the clinic’s activities encompass all spondyloarthritis (SpA) including:

  • Axial SpA
  • Psoriatic Arthritis
  • Reactive Arthritis
  • IBD-related arthritis

Why did we bother?

  • There is a need to increase awareness of AS, SpA & related disease given that the diagnosis & management is on the whole, poor
  • Highly effective therapy now exists, requiring rheumatologists to step to the forefront
  • There is an emerging focus on earlier diagnosis and treatment, and an aim for this to happen before irreversible damage appears on X-rays
  • There is an opportunity for BJC Health to be involved at the forefront of changing disease management paradigms
  • There was an absence of such a service in Sydney, a void that BJC Health could and should fill given our position as a unique, integrated rheumatology service
  • We have the expertise of interested, compassionate rheumatologists
  • We have physiotherapists with specialised knowledge & experience in SpA

This stuff is not rocket science. It takes time and energy, expertise we already have, and a genuine interest to provide a world class service.

The Sydney Spondyloarthritis Centre makes a difference.

Please do contact us if you need more information to help you or someone you know.

Dr Irwin Lim is a rheumatologist and a director of BJC Health.
Arthritis requires an integrated approach. We call this, Connected Care.  Contact us.
This blog focuses on arthritis-related diseases, healthcare in general, and our Connected Care philosophy.
 
 

 

Posted on: 2 May 2012
Posted in: Ankylosing Spondylitis, Arthritis: inflammatory, Connected Care

Our Shirts reflect our BJC Health story? 0

By Errol Lim, Physiotherapist

I feel the picture below tells a story.

When we first thought of uniforms, we were still uneasy with our business name and what it stood for.

That was 2 and half years ago. The three shirts you see starting from the left were totally different, trying to please everyone at the time and still struggling with our true identity. I’m sure you can see that in the colour scheme and style.

However, with a stronger focus and a common goal, our team now looks the part.

We’ve decided on the blue striped business shirt and the dark blue polo you see on the far right.

It’s interesting how something as simple as a uniform can give you such a sense of pride and confidence. I hope our whole team feels the same way.

Errol Lim is a physiotherapist and the managing director of BJC Health.
Arthritis requires an integrated approach. We call this, Connected Care.  Contact us.
This blog focuses on arthritis-related diseases, healthcare in general, and our Connected Care philosophy.
 
 
Posted on: 21 April 2012
Posted in: Connected Care

Why nuts should be part of your diet 0

By Monica Kubizniak, Dietitian

Monica Kubizniak is a dietitian at BJC Health.
BJC Health provides a connected care multidisciplinary team philosophy to deliver positive lifestyle outcomes through a holistic approach to those with degenerative & inflammatory arthritis, tendon injury and lifestyle diseases. Our clinics are located in Parramatta, Chatswood and Brookvale. Contact us.
This blog focuses on arthritis-related diseases, healthcare in general, and our Connected Care philosophy.

Posted on: 14 April 2012
Posted in: Diet & Nutrition

One (Less) Fat Rheumatologist 9

By Dr Irwin Lim, Rheumatologist

About 3 months ago, I shared with you some of my body statistics. One Fat Rheumatologist. Not very pretty but I hoped it would provide me some motivation.

During the last 3 months, I’ve tried to do some exercise, on average, 5 sessions a week. This would include 2 rides on my spin cycle in front of the TV lasting up to an hour; 2 sessions with a gentle warm-up followed by simple push-ups, crunches, lunges followed by stretches; and 1 hour-long session with Mel, our exercise physiologist where she gets me to do stuff my body obviously finds quite foreign such as boxing, skipping, plank-ing.

During this time, I’m actually eating more.

However, the type of food and timing has changed a little. I now make sure I have a good breakfast, I try to find time for morning tea, lunch is no longer optional, a small afternoon snack gets me through my pm patient list, and finally, I’ve reduced the size of my dinner. I eat less carbs at dinner with larger portions of vegetables. The change has not been dramatic and has been very palatable.

I now share with you the body composition scan results, the 1st from January and the current one:

My total body fat has reduced from 26.3% to 22.7%. A drop of 13%.

I’m quite happy with the result. Nice to know that some simple dietary change and exercise can make a difference.

I’m going to enjoy a few Easter Eggs this weekend.

Dr Irwin Lim is a rheumatologist and a director of BJC Health.
Arthritis requires an integrated approach. We call this, Connected Care.  Contact us.
This blog focuses on arthritis-related diseases, healthcare in general, and our Connected Care philosophy.
 
Posted on: 6 April 2012
Posted in: Our journey to better health
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