I have always been keen for my patients to have good quality, accurate information about pregnancy and childbirth.
As well, I have always been keen to help my patients avoid believing nonsense on pregnancy topics.
Before the internet incorrect information was conveyed to pregnant women verbally by often well-wishing family members, friends, and acquaintances.
I gave my patients a multipage handout of pregnancy ‘questions and answers’ at their first antenatal visit as well as being personally available to answer questions and address pregnancy concerns.
Now with the internet it is popular for pregnant women to get information about pregnancy and childbirth online. And there so much available from so many different sources. Some is of excellent quality, and some is very inaccurate. Inaccurate information usually comes from people who have no qualifications or authority. These people may live in other countries, and they often have their own bias or agenda. Anxiety levels of many pregnant women are much higher now than before the internet and giving credibility to nonsense information only compounds that anxiety.
I have sceptical approach when reading medical material online, even when produced by obstetricians and other doctors. Doctors also can have bias and agenda. I always consider the source of the report and the study details. As well, if the information in a medical article is true, I expect multiple credible sources to agree. As most patients are not medically qualified. They usually could not understand medical studies reporting and would not be able to do the necessary filtering before deciding whether to believe the data and that it is relevant for them.
I often tell patients: “Don’t get advice from Dr Google!”
With the internet, I had opportunity (with expert IT support) to start and develop my own website. I wanted the website to be comprehensive, with information on many pregnancy topics. Thus, I was able to continue and to develop my focus on patient education, and for pregnant women to have access to good quality and accurate information on pregnancy and childbirth topics.
With the introduction of social media platforms, it has become possible for me to post photos, information, and links on different social media platforms.
Over recent times it has become very popular for people to post self-made video clips, now called vlogs (video blogs), on all sorts of topics. I know myself that when I need information on a topic – everything from changing an unusual light bulb, to what to plant in the garden, to how to assemble a new purchase, etc., etc. there is usually at least one video clip I find online that has the information I need.
While I have some video posts on YouTube that I have made myself or others have made for me, I want to take this further and have an extensive range of vlogs on a wide range of pregnancy and childbirth topics. These will be for pregnant women’s education and information and to help stop them from believing information from non-qualified, or poorly qualified people who often have their own agenda and often want to use the internet to promote their own views.
I have done a lot of homework on the topic of vlogging, and I am almost ready to start. I look forward to sharing my vlogs with you. Initially I will be posting to my YouTube channel. YouTube is the most popular vlog posting platform. There are opportunities with other video sharing platforms that I may soon use also.
