A couple of useful online utilities

Gustav Klutsis. (Latvian, 1895-1944). Maquette for Radio-Announcer. 1922. Painted cardboard, paper, wood, thread, and metal brads, 45 3/4 x 14 1/2 x 14 1/2" (106.1 x 36.8 x 36.8 cm). Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection Fund. Museum of Modern Art, New York. http://www.moma.org/

I recently discovered a usfeul online utility (free of course) called slideshare (http://www.slideshare.net/), where you can post you powerpoints online. It feels a bit like YouTube, except that it has slideshows rather than videos.

I gave a talk this morning to our surgeons about "Personalising your Internet" by using Web 2.0 applications like iGoogle, Google Reader, Google Docs, CiteuLike, and so on, which I have posted on Slideshare. (Link)

Another site I have been playing with is Survey Pro (http://www.esurveyspro.com/), which allows you to set up online surveys. There are free and paid versions. It's easy to use, and worth looking at if you ever want to conduct an online survey.

Digital rectal examination in primary care not that accurate?

Albrecht Durer Hand (21 May 1471)

http://astrodreamer.squarespace.com/blog/2008/6/19/miles-davis-irving-penn-durer-emerson.html

I found this a bit surprising:

1069 patients were referred to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire to the 14-day urgent colorectal cancer referral service. Of these, 108 patients were referred as having a 'palpable rectal tumour'. Only 32 of the 108 were found to have a rectal lesion on examination in the hospital. Ten tumours were missed by GPs' DREs.

The diagnostic value of digital rectal examination in primary care for palpable rectal tumour
C. W. Ang, R. Dawson, C. Hall and M. Farmer Colorectal Disease
Published Online: 14 Sep 2007
DOI 10.1111/j.1463-1318.2007.01381

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120125657/abstract