Physicians writing on KevinMD about being a physician in public: professional presence online, patient privacy, online reviews and reputation, medical misinformation, and how clinicians use social platforms to teach, advocate, and connect. KevinMD itself has been a case study in this since 2004.

House, M.D. physician technical advisor interview

Social Media in Medicine
May 21, 2010

by Ryan DuBosar

“House, M.D.,” is the least realistic medical drama on television. That doesn’t bother Lisa Sanders, ACP Member, one of the show’s technical advisors.

The lead character, Gregory House, MD, verbally abuses patients, goes overboard ordering tests and above all, he’s “a jerk,” Dr. Sanders said. But after all, it’s television, and the former CBS news producer turned med student turned Yale professor understands the difference between reality and good …

Read more…

House, M.D. physician technical advisor interview

End of life blogging benefits and the questions it raises

Social Media in Medicine
May 19, 2010

With Eva and Alicia, both women were very young, 25 and 28, respectively. And for anyone who knows the history of American bioethics will realize young women, severe illness and dying seem to bring about a intense focus of cultural awareness (see Schiavo, Cruzan, Quinlan).

It struck me how the open sharing of the decline of their health towards death may signal …

Read more…

End of life blogging benefits and the questions it raises

Social media starts the patient dialogue with doctors and nurses

Social Media in Medicine
May 10, 2010

A patient apologized to me for asking so many questions. There is no need to apologize, I said to the patient; it’s wonderful that you have so many questions concerning your health care. I mentioned to her that she is an “empowered and engaged patient,” and that is a good thing.

It’s no secret that health consumers are turning to the internet for health information.

In a recent article from MediaPost News, …

Read more…

Social media starts the patient dialogue with doctors and nurses

Social networking impact on patients, doctors, and non-profits

Social Media in Medicine
May 6, 2010

In its current listing of online social networks, Wikipedia presents 156 major, active websites. A neighboring link to view “now-defunct” sites accompanies the listing — a subtle reminder of the Internet’s competitive and volatile environment where promising endeavors rise and fall overnight.

But although the popularity of a specific website may fade with time, the practice of online social networking is here to stay.

In its simplest form, online social networking is …

Read more…

Social networking impact on patients, doctors, and non-profits

Twitter for doctors, a guide for health care professionals

Social Media in Medicine
April 5, 2010

With the explosion of social media, I am amazed at how many doctors I encounter who know little to nothing about blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz and the like. “I’m too busy.” “Who has time for that stuff?” “I wouldn’t have time for anything else.” “How can I possibly keep up?”

And yet today, as more and more patients reach out to the web to find medical information or, more importantly, …

Read more…

Twitter for doctors, a guide for health care professionals

Grey’s Anatomy and other TV doctors skirt bioethical issues

Social Media in Medicine
April 4, 2010

by John Gever

As portrayed on popular television shows, physicians frequently deal with vexing ethical dilemmas — perhaps more often than occurs in real life, researchers said.

Doctors on TV also sleep around a great deal, with each other and with patients, and behave unprofessionally in a host of other ways, reported researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore who analyzed the content of a full season of “House M.D.” and “Grey’s …

Read more…

Grey’s Anatomy and other TV doctors skirt bioethical issues

Twitter habits of pharmaceutical companies

Social Media in Medicine
March 31, 2010

As more and more pharmaceutical companies dip their toes into social media, one of the issues that surfaces regularly is this: do you put someONE in charge of a blog and/or Twitter account, or do you make it more anonymous? Or something else?

I’ve always advocated that pharma companies should use social networks to humanize their companies, which means employing human faces and voices – having real, authentic, and effective communicators …

Read more…

Twitter habits of pharmaceutical companies

Why doctors should blog with their real name

Social Media in Medicine
March 14, 2010

Blogging is a great way to get things into an open forum for discussion.  But I still have nagging doubts about doctors who post blogs or replies about healthcare issues without giving their names.

As a new blogger, I often look at those replies to my postings that are anonymous and think, “Who are you? Why do you think the way you do? Why will you not put a name and …

Read more…

Why doctors should blog with their real name

DVDs don’t help infants learn language

Social Media in Medicine
March 10, 2010

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Kristina Fiore, MedPage Today Staff Writer

Infants don’t learn a great deal from language-acquisition DVDs, and may in fact be hindered from learning vocabulary, researchers have found.

Tots who watched such DVDs over a six-week period didn’t have better language knowledge scores than youngsters who didn’t watch, and those who first tuned in at a younger …

Read more…

DVDs don’t help infants learn language

Quit smoking by using Facebook

Social Media in Medicine
March 2, 2010

At 3am on Jan 1st 2010 my cousin-brother stubbed his last cigarette. New Year’s resolutions to quit smoking, lose weight, or change another bad habit are certainly not uncommon. Having tried — and failed — to quit a number of times before, my cousin took a bold, new approach to quitting. Whether a cleverly devised plan, or just a whim, he decided to post his quitting on Facebook.

On January 4th, …

Read more…

Quit smoking by using Facebook

Op-ed: Social media can enhance the doctor-patient relationship

Social Media in Medicine
February 13, 2010

A version of this op-ed was published on January 27th, 2010 in the USA Today.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever left a physician’s office without fully understanding what the doctor just told you.

Studies show that half of patients admit to not understanding what their doctor told them during an office visit; and more than 75% of emergency room patients acknowledge not fully grasping instructions given to them.

As a primary …

Read more…

Op-ed: Social media can enhance the doctor-patient relationship

Why Haiti disaster relief efforts cannot be applied domestically

Social Media in Medicine
February 11, 2010

Like most people, I’ve found the news and images coming from Haiti in the aftermath of the January’s earthquake appalling and upsetting.

The sheer amount of devastation and orders of magnitude loss of life make the story compelling by itself. Coupled on top of Haiti’s ignominious history, the situation touches us for its Job-like quality: ”How much misery can one people withstand?”

I’ve been pleased at the outpouring of support for Haiti. …

Read more…

Why Haiti disaster relief efforts cannot be applied domestically

How fame has corrupted Dr. Mehmet Oz

Social Media in Medicine
February 9, 2010

The newest media doc on the block is Dr. Mehmet Oz. When he was first seen on Oprah, he seemed engaging and answered some interesting questions in a real and professional way. The audience loved his blue scrubs and boyish clean cut open style.

That was then.

Let’s face it . . . the media spotlight seems to corrupt even the best physicians. Dr. Oz now has his own show and …

Read more…

How fame has corrupted Dr. Mehmet Oz

ADVERTISEMENT

Telling a patient story and the issues facing physician writers

Social Media in Medicine
February 6, 2010

There is a veritable epidemic of doctor-writers out there. What is going on?

Are doctors suddenly in the kiss-and-tell mode? What about confidentiality? Professionalism? HIPAA?

As one of the aforementioned doctor-writers, I look upon this trend with both awe and trepidation. I suspect that that this flourishing literary phenomenon relates to the public’s fascination and fear about all things medical. It also relates to the falling away of previous, pedestal-like images of …

Read more…

Telling a patient story and the issues facing physician writers

Why doctors fail to embrace Health 2.0

Social Media in Medicine
January 18, 2010

Originally published in HCPLive.com

by Gwenn Schurgin O’Keeffe, MD, FAAP

New technologies can make healthcare more personalized, strengthen the patient–physician relationship, put the right information in the right hands at the right time, and potentially improve outcomes and efficiency across the healthcare spectrum. So why are so many physicians reluctant to embrace these changes?

Wikipedia defines Health 2.0 as “the use of a …

Read more…

Why doctors fail to embrace Health 2.0

How social media can make physicians better doctors

Social Media in Medicine
January 11, 2010

Originally published on HCPLive.com

by Mike Hennessy

Some patient advocates, tech-savvy physicians, and other Health 2.0 proponents tout e-mail, online forums, and social media technologies because they can potentially help strengthen the patient–physician relationship by providing patients with greater access to their physicians and facilitating more open communication.

Yet, after seeing patients all day, do physicians really want to spend a significant portion …

Read more…

How social media can make physicians better doctors

How Twitter will impact health care in 2010

Social Media in Medicine
December 15, 2009

Originally published in HCPLive.com

MDNG interviews Phil Baumann about the future of Twitter and social media in health care.

Way back in January, Phil Baumann, RN, provided an empathic answer to the question/concern that was on everyone’s mind then: “Yeah, Twitter seems great and all, but can you use it for anything useful in healthcare?”

Taking things to the extreme, Baumann, …

Read more…

How Twitter will impact health care in 2010

Saying no to a re-tweet request, and whether Twitter as a legitimate news source

Social Media in Medicine
November 15, 2009

The other day I re-tweeted a tweet from someone whose Twitter activity I enjoy very much. I like where his links take me, and I appreciate the intellectual and emotional honesty of his own writing. The message I re-tweeted was about Gardasil, Merck’s HPV vaccine marketed in the US.

Diane Harper of the University of Missouri is a prominent researcher who was heavily involved in the Gardasil development program. Over the …

Read more…

Saying no to a re-tweet request, and whether Twitter as a legitimate news source

Why is the American College of Rheumatology barring the media from adding CME?

Social Media in Medicine
November 9, 2009

by Robert Stern, MA, CCMEP

In our continuing saga with the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and their oppressive media policies, one of our readers kindly forwarded a letter received by her from the president of the ACR who provides his justification for attempting to restrict MedPage Today’s access to their annual meeting.

For context, let’s begin with the letter from …

Read more…

Why is the American College of Rheumatology barring the media from adding CME?

Health care social networking basics for doctors

Social Media in Medicine
November 5, 2009

Originally published in HCPLive.com

by Enoch Choi, MD

Patients have embraced social networking tools that allow them to share information, offer support, and compare healthcare experiences. Physicians should also use these tools to connect with their patients and local communities and provide general medical information.

Healthcare social networking has made impressive inroads into the mainstream, as like-minded folks find each other online and …

Read more…

Health care social networking basics for doctors

17
pages