Social media in medicine

479 articles · Since 2007

Articles, page 3

The risk physicians take when going on social media

July 17, 2019Jul 17, 20193

I am at a conference that is encouraging physicians to engage in social media. This is something I was always a proponent of. I felt strongly that as physicians, we help set the tone of accurate medical information. Especially now…

I used to be an active Twitter user. I had 21,000 followers and was verified — with a blue …

Why social media may be causing real emotional harm

Edwin Leap, MD

June 23, 2019Jun 23, 20194

"Mens sana, in corpore sano," goes the old Latin saying. "A healthy mind in a healthy body." It’s vital that way pay proper attention not only to our physical existence but to our minds and souls; to the intangible but…

“Mens sana, in corpore sano,” goes the old Latin saying. “A healthy mind in a healthy body.” It’s vital that way pay proper attention not only to our physical existence but to our minds and souls; to the intangible but essential part of who we are.

While I write a lot about things we need to do to keep our bodies healthy, it’s important to remember that our eyes and minds …

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When physicians are cyberbullied: an interview with ZDoggMD

Monique Tello, MD

May 2, 2019May 2, 2019

Pseudoscience hate groups of all kinds are targeting physicians who openly advocate for public health issues. This is a favorite intimidation tactic used by anti-vaccine activists: When pediatrician colleague Jen Trachtenberg posted a video for National Immunization Awareness Month 2018, she was blasted with thousands of horrible comments and fake online reviews. I wrote a blog post in her defense, and immediately, I was similarly targeted, …

3 ways to advance the credibility of online health information

Robert Pearl, MD

April 17, 2019Apr 17, 2019

As first reported by The Wall Street Journal late last month, the war against anti-vaccination propaganda now has a new battlefront. Pinterest, the social-media platform where users discover images and information, has begun blocking vaccine-related search terms on its site.…

Anti-vaccine content contradicts evidence-based science and established research, the company told WSJ, while cautioning that the search ban is only …

A physician’s first 100 days on Twitter

Sol Adelsky, MD

April 14, 2019Apr 14, 2019

Since finishing my medical training recently, many of my friends have embraced their newfound freedom as attendings in traditional ways: reviving long-neglected hobbies, finally exercising regularly, enjoying more time with loved ones. Me? I joined Twitter. It may seem like…

Me? I joined Twitter.

It may seem like a strange step, but after years of caution regarding the perils of social media as a physician (and more specifically, as a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist), it was only once I …

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A physician’s first 100 days on Twitter

How social media can help or hurt your health care career

Health eCareers

March 23, 2019Mar 23, 2019

This article is sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com. We live in a time when social media isn’t just about sharing pictures or ideas with a close circle of friends and family. Between our Facebook statuses, our Twitter profiles and especially…

This article is sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com.

We live in a time when social media isn’t just about sharing pictures or ideas with a close circle of friends and family. Between our Facebook statuses, our Twitter profiles and especially our LinkedIn pages, we are always public, all the time — no matter what your privacy settings may have you believe.

For …

8 reasons why Instagram is important in medicine

Anum Iqbal

March 20, 2019Mar 20, 2019

I started sharing my journey through medicine on Instagram about four years ago after I failed the musculoskeletal block during my first year of medical school. I felt alone in my struggles and didn’t want anyone else to feel that way. So I started talking about it openly. It quickly became a place to nurture my creative self and build community. And even though a lot …

HIPAA case studies: misguided mistakes and egregious errors

Michael J. Sacopulos, JD

March 7, 2019Mar 7, 2019

When it comes to HIPAA violations, there are, sadly, plenty of examples available to serve as cautionary tales. Some seem like innocent mistakes that just about anyone could make. Others are so egregious that those involved appear to be willfully…

An excerpt from Tweets, Likes,and Liabilities: Online and Electronic Risk to the Healthcare Professional.

How social media can advance humanism in medicine

Pooja Lakshmin, MD

February 28, 2019Feb 28, 20192

“In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.” - Abraham Maslow. The New York Times recently published the op-ed “Dr. Google is a Liar,” written by cardiologist Haider Warraich, MD.…

“In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.”
– Abraham Maslow.

The New York Times recently published the op-ed “Dr. Google is a Liar,” written by cardiologist Haider Warraich, MD. Dr. Warraich describes the rise of fake medical news and the adverse consequences of a population who gets their medical information from social media. He shares that when …

Physicians who don’t play the social media game may be left behind

Xrayvsn, MD

February 25, 2019Feb 25, 20192

The internet truly is a wondrous invention. It has evened the playing field with a wide swath of people now having access to information that used to be possessed in the hands of only the elite few not too long…

The internet truly is a wondrous invention.

It has evened the playing field with a wide swath of people now having access to information that used to be possessed in the hands of only the elite few not too long ago.

However, as with most things, there can be downsides associated with any tool of progress.

Yelp

Yelp is a powerful social tool that allows individuals to share experiences, good or bad, so that …

A call to clinicians: Contrary to what you’ve been taught, use social media

Joshua Mansour, MD

February 9, 2019Feb 9, 2019

From the beginning of medical school, one of the first things “instructional videos” that we had to watch during orientation was about “social media” and what “not to do.” There began this stigma, and it was frowned upon to use…

There are the obvious things that physicians should not do, such as post private information about patients, show a patient’s face without their permission, …

Digital advances in the medical aid in dying movement

Jennifer Lynn

February 8, 2019Feb 8, 2019

I am certain that many of you might be familiar with the intelligent, vibrant young lady named Brittany Maynard. Brittany's story was so compelling to the world that it reached the most outstanding and historic numbers through digital media. Ms.…

I am certain that many of you might be familiar with the intelligent, vibrant young lady named Brittany Maynard. Brittany’s story was so compelling to the world that it reached the most outstanding and historic numbers through digital media. Ms. Maynard was only 29, diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and decided that she would end her own life “when the time seemed right.” Maynard was an advocate …

A physician’s addiction to social media

Amanda Xi, MD

February 1, 2019Feb 1, 20192

For Apple iPhone users, the release of iOS 12 included a new feature called “Screen Time.” Although a number of productivity apps that offered a similar snapshot of phone usage were available before this update, I was never interested in quantifying my usage. Now, on a weekly basis, I get a reminder of the exact percentage breakdown of how I’m using my phone.

In true millennial fashion, a review of my …

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A physician’s addiction to social media

Should residency programs review their applicants’ social media history?

Skeptical Scalpel, MD

January 28, 2019Jan 28, 201921

By now, I’m sure most of you probably have heard about the Cleveland Clinic first-year resident who was fired last September when it became known that in 2012 she had tweeted she would “purposely give all the yahood the wrong…

The website Canary Mission documented numerous tweets expressing similar thoughts. She has apologized but will likely have great difficulty finding another job as a physician.

This …

Academic media: Don’t criticize your colleagues for “dumbing it down”

Shari Graydon

January 18, 2019Jan 18, 20193

Are you a media whore? Or do you worry you might be labeled one by your colleagues – if not to your face, then behind your back? In the process of delivering hundreds of media engagement workshops, I’ve heard dozens…

Are you a media whore? Or do you worry you might be labeled one by your colleagues – if not to your face, then behind your back?

In the process of delivering hundreds of media engagement workshops, I’ve heard dozens and dozens of you express this fear, using precisely this language. You’ve made it clear that the mild put-down of “microphone hog” I was familiar with has now been replaced with …

Don’t judge when trainees use dating apps in the hospital

Austin Perlmutter, MD

January 17, 2019Jan 17, 20195

During rounds, in between seeing patients, the medical student pulls out his phone and scans a dating app for new matches. In the team room, a resident opens Facebook before responding to a non-urgent page. Each of these instances may seem trivial enough, but I’ve seen both lead to poor evaluations, reprimands, or others whispering terms like “unprofessional.”

In the medical world, there’s an implicit understanding that while you’re at work, …

Is social media a friend or foe of science?

Michael Joyce, MD

December 18, 2018Dec 18, 20182

An opinion piece published in JAMA suggests the latter: "Protecting the Value of Medical Science in the Age of Social Media and 'Fake News'" The authors argue social media poses a threat to science in several ways: Unfettered publication of…

An opinion piece published in JAMA suggests the latter: “Protecting the Value of Medical Science in the Age of Social Media and ‘Fake News’”

The authors argue social media poses a threat to science in several ways:

Unfettered publication of unvetted information by sources of unknown reliability.
An emerging tactic of decrying disagreeable content as “fake” or part of a “conspiracy.”
Opponents of evidence-based research who perpetuate

…

How social media leads to a loss of creativity

Edwin Leap, MD

December 12, 2018Dec 12, 2018

I use social media. Specifically, I use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. In the beginning, I did so for utilitarian purposes. As a columnist and aspiring writer of books, these were (and indeed are) useful marketing tools. I have, in the…

I have, in the past, carried around a note-pad to jot down ideas. I was never without my note-pad. I always wanted a small legal-pad with a blue or black gel-ink pen. It was my …

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