social media--how it can help you be a better doctor

Social media

How it can help you be a better doctor

Why bother?

• Facebook: more than a billion users • Twitter: 288 million active monthly users

(fastest growing social network in the world)

• YouTube: 4 billion daily views, an hour of video uploaded every second

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Meaning: it’s where the patients are

• Pew Internet study: 80% of those who use the Internet look up health information online

• 35% of those who go online looking for health information are trying to make a diagnosis for themselves or someone else

• Of those “online diagnosers,” only about half go to a doctor

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And they aren’t just looking up information…

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They are making health decisions

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They are finding out about you.

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It’s not just about playing defense.

Social media has a lot to offer.

Health information for both you and your patients

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Opportunity to connect—and teach

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…and advocate!

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So many possibilities

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Facebook

• You can create a page for your practice, or yourself (as a “fan page”)

• When people “like” your page, your posts automatically go to their page

• You can post, people can comment• Do your own posts, and also provide links• Use pictures! More interesting,

encourages clicks

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YouTube

• Videos as teaching tools• Create a channel

– Can use it for linking videos to other places• You don’t have to create your own videos—there

are plenty out there• Creating video is easier than you think

– Flipcam, iPhone– Keep it brief (less than 3 min-90 sec better)– Top-level points

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Twitter

• Limited to 140 characters—so short bits of information

• “Information accelerator”—use of links is key

• Great for sending out information of all kinds

• Great way to connect with people

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LinkedIn

• Excellent for networking• Learning opportunities• Less about connecting with patients—but

a great way to find out ways to connect, and meet people who are doing what you want to do.

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Practice website

• Becoming standard• Central repository of information

– Practice information– Clinical information

• Can be an advertisement for your practice• Can make care more efficient• Can be a place for blogging

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Blogging

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Why blog?

• A way to communicate with people about issues and topics you care about, or want people to learn about

• Allows you to react to studies and news and put the “spin” on them that you think is best

• Helps create/support your online reputation• Can attract patients• Good writing is helpful—but it doesn’t have to be

perfect

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Caveats• You need to blog regularly.

– Consider guest blogging, or being in a rotation

• You need a platform– Practice website? Your own blog?

• You need to write effectively– Low (7th grade) reading level– Short sentences– Brief (500-900 words)– Engaging, casual

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What is the problem you want to solve with social media?

• Attracting patients• Connecting with patients• Networking/looking for work• Educating patients• Educating yourself• Advocacy• All of the above?

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Getting started

• WATCH• See what other people are doing• Find good websites

– Practice websites to emulate– Websites with good health information

• Get a sense of different modalities• Read blogs

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Important social media concepts

• Messaging• Engagement• Commitment• Responsibility

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Messaging

• Brief! People have attention spans of gnats.

• Distilled. What is the most important take-home?

• Reading level: keep it low (5th-7th grade)• Attention-grabbing (whenever possible)• Use graphics/videos

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Engagement

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• If nobody reads your content, it isn’t useful

• Social media is all about engagement—think about this as you create or share content

• What will people respond to? (Literally)

Social media (and life) is like a sandbox

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• It’s not all about you

• Play nice• If you want people

to share your content, share theirs

Commitment

• You get out what you put in• Refreshed content Engagement• Don’t bite off more than you can chew• Time issues• Someone to manage?

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Tools

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Small is okay

• But…keep expectations low• Choose modalities well

– Twitter better for intermittent content– Facebook and blogs look silly if not updated

• Consider:– Commenting on others’ blogs– Doing guest blogs

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Responsibility = Privacy and Respect

• HIPPA—easy to comply with• But really, more than HIPPA. Higher

standard—don’t want patients to be able to identify themselves or others at all.

• What is your intent?

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Responsibility = Patient Safety

• Don’t give specific medical advice online• Make sure patients know not to leave

urgent medical concerns on site• Watch your feeds and comments!

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Responsibility = Professionalism

• Whether we like it or not, doctors are held to a different standard

• Comments (and pictures) can be taken out of context

• Anything that goes online stays there• Can’t separate personal and professional

(sorry)

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But let’s put this in context…

• Wendy Sue Swanson: “We are way worse in elevators than we are online.”

These aren’t reasons to avoid social media. They are simply ways to use it responsibly.

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Go for it!

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