social media--how it can help you be a better doctor
Post on 15-Jun-2015
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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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• 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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• 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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• 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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