Social media in medicine

479 articles · Since 2007

Articles, page 8

7 tips for becoming a savvy digital parent

March 24, 2014Mar 24, 2014

As a pediatrician, I encourage families to search online for health advice. Yet how you search and where you click matters. Tips for you and your time with “Dr. Google” or “Surgeon Bing.” The Pew Internet Project’s research finds that…

As a pediatrician, I encourage families to search online for health advice. Yet how you search and where you click matters. Tips for you and your time with “Dr. Google” or “Surgeon Bing.”

The Pew Internet Project’s research finds that over 70% of Internet users in the United States say they have looked online for health information in the last year. Furthermore, most health information seekers (ie freaked out parents …

Anonymous social networking apps: What parents can do about them

Natasha Burgert, MD

March 17, 2014Mar 17, 2014

“It’s a disgrace to the human race.” The talented, high school senior physically cringed as she described the app, adding, “it’s just horrifying what people put on there.” Teens in my office have nearly universally agreed in the repulsive nature…

“It’s a disgrace to the human race.”

The talented, high school senior physically cringed as she described the app, adding, “it’s just horrifying what people put on there.”

Teens in my office have nearly universally agreed in the repulsive nature of one of the newest social networking apps called Yik Yak. The app is causing disruption within our local community; being described as a way to cyberbully, offend, and generally disgust anyone anonymously. App users, or …

How social media facilitates peer review

Deep Ramachandran, MD

March 12, 2014Mar 12, 2014

Much has been written about how Web 2.0 tools can change the healthcare landscape. It would appear a recent set of circumstances has upped the ante. This story begins with a recent study that attempted to tackle the problem of…

Much has been written about how Web 2.0 tools can change the healthcare landscape. It would appear a recent set of circumstances has upped the ante.

This story begins with a recent study that attempted to tackle the problem of ICU infections. ICU infections are a challenging problem, patients who are admitted to the ICU are at risk of worsening illness and death from infections such as MRSA which can be …

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Go where the patients are: Why this doctor is active on social media

Howard Luks, MD

February 26, 2014Feb 26, 2014·2

If knowledge is power, then content (in proper context) is king. Why am I online blogging, pushing content through my website and even interacting on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and many other sites? Because my patients are there. Increasingly, they are utilizing the Internet to self-diagnose; to look for “second opinions” from peers and friends; to research a physician, recommended treatment, or hospital; or to find the latest information on their …

The promising role of social media in preventing HIV

Viraj V. Patel, MD

February 19, 2014Feb 19, 2014

Over the last decade, researchers, doctors and the life-sciences industry have made great strides in treating HIV. Medications once routinely delivered through complicated multidose cocktails are now, for some patients, available in a one-pill-a-day form. While adhering to even a…

On the prevention front, however, there’s still work to be done. Despite a significant public-education campaign …

Analyzing the Katie Couric effect on the vaccine conversation

Natasha Burgert, MD

February 18, 2014Feb 18, 2014·11

On December 4th, 2013, Katie Couric gave the HPV vaccine center stage during a segment on her talk show, Katie. The segment, entitled “The HPV Controversy,” was 20 minutes long, but ignited a digital firestorm between pro- and anti-vaccine voices…

On December 4th, 2013, Katie Couric gave the HPV vaccine center stage during a segment on her talk show, Katie. The segment, entitled “The HPV Controversy,” was 20 minutes long, but ignited a digital firestorm between pro- and anti-vaccine voices that raged for days after the stage lights went dark.

In partnership with Global Prairie, the entire online conversation surrounding this Katie segment was digitally captured using …

Use crowdsourcing to develop clinical trials

Matthew Katz, MD

February 4, 2014Feb 4, 2014

At my hospital, we are committed to offering a lot of clinical trials in the community. But it’s hard -- nationally, only about 3% of patients with cancer participate in clinical trials. Even at some academic centers, it may be…

At my hospital, we are committed to offering a lot of clinical trials in the community. But it’s hard — nationally, only about 3% of patients with cancer participate in clinical trials. Even at some academic centers, it may be below 10%. With less research funding available, we need to find new ways to make it easier and cheaper …

Why I tweet: A patient advocate view

Jessie Gruman, PhD

February 3, 2014Feb 3, 2014

Twitter -- its functions, benefits, risks and limitations -- has figured prominently in the heated discussion about Emma and Bill Keller's respective editorials in The Guardian (since deleted, though the archived version is still available) and the New York Times…

Twitter — its functions, benefits, risks and limitations — has figured prominently in the heated discussion about Emma and Bill Keller’s respective editorials in The Guardian (since deleted, though the archived version is still available) and the New York Times about the Twitter feed of Lisa Bonchek Adams. I have followed Lisa for a long time and greatly admire her thoughtful, highly …

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Why I tweet: A patient advocate view

Help build information driven patient behavior

David B. Agus, MD

January 31, 2014Jan 31, 2014

Historically, we’ve often thought of the doctor-patient encounter as something of a silo. Patients come in with symptoms, and the doctor addresses them, perhaps ordering tests or referring the patients down the line of colleagues. That model inexorably changed with…

That model inexorably changed with the Internet. Today, patients come to their appointments educated on symptoms, treatments, and even us. They are frequently prepared with research and granular questions. They are engaged with the process, and often …

Twitter and cancer patients: What to make of the outrage?

Don S. Dizon, MD

January 21, 2014Jan 21, 2014

On one afternoon last week, I sat at my desk working on a paper when my iPhone buzzed, telling me I had a new message. This message, forwarded from my Twitter account, alerted me to an editorial published in the Guardian (which has since been removed because it was “inconsistent with the Guardian editorial code).

Entitled, “Forget funeral selfies. What are the ethics of tweeting …

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Is there a role for physician activism on Facebook?

Andrea Paul, MD

January 19, 2014Jan 19, 2014·4

I use Facebook. I’ll just start right out by saying it. But sometimes I wish I could stop. While I do share meaningful conversation and get caught up on how my friends and their families are doing, I also spend a great deal of my time trying not to see things. While others might be able to scroll right past that friend’s post about vaccines causing autism, or about treating …

Can social media help measure physician quality?

Val Jones, MD

January 13, 2014Jan 13, 2014·5

I am consistently bemused by those who recommend more rigorous or more pervasive standardized testing as the primary means for insuring physician quality. The vast majority of physicians have already passed through a complex gauntlet of multiple choice exams, extended credentialing and certification processes, and lengthy tests of knowledge and skill. And yet, some physicians (to put it bluntly, sorry friends) are very bad at what they do.

Intellectual …

Researching health information online: Recognize your limitations

Jeff Livingston, MD

January 5, 2014Jan 5, 2014·4

There are certain situations in my life where I feel really stupid. One is when CNBC's Squawk Box senior economics reporter Steve Liesman discusses the bond market. While I recognize the words he uses as English grammar, I find almost…

There are certain situations in my life where I feel really stupid. One is when CNBC’s Squawk Box senior economics reporter Steve Liesman discusses the bond market. While I recognize the words he uses as English grammar, I find almost every word to be incomprehensible gibberish. Recently, he informed me that “given the Feds propensity towards quantitative easing in Q4 the 10 year yield could hit 3%.” I think that …

The repercussions of declining Facebook friend requests from patients

Nathalie Majorek, MD

November 10, 2013Nov 10, 2013·38

At the end of a long day at my medical practice, I am sitting at my computer catching up with friends via Facebook. Suddenly, a notification pops up: one of the patients I saw today has sent me a friend request. I know that the ACP, AMA and every other physician organization recommends strongly that doctors not connect with patients via social media, so I quickly click to decline the …

Why I recommend LinkedIn to physicians

Kevin Pho, MD

October 31, 2013Oct 31, 2013·9

When I talk to physicians about dipping their toes into the social media waters, I advise starting with LinkedIn. Spend about 45 minutes or so and create a LinkedIn profile, which is essentially a digital translation of your CV. LinkedIn…

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Why I recommend LinkedIn to physicians

Using Twitter to stay updated in scientific meetings

Deep Ramachandran, MD

October 27, 2013Oct 27, 2013

Well, I’ve done it again. It seems that everytime I try to make the early registration deadline for a conference, something seems to come up. One of the kids gets sick, a transmission breaks, I have a crazy week at…

Unlike the past few years however, I’m very excited to say that I will be making it to the American College of Chest Physician’s annual scientific …

When social media connections with patients are NSFW

Carwyn Hooper

October 20, 2013Oct 20, 2013

Patients have gone online, digital natives are entering medical schools and regulatory bodies, like the General Medical Council in the UK, are scrambling to respond to the impact these changes are having on medical professionalism. The possibilities for enhanced learning,…

The possibilities for enhanced learning, better communication and higher quality care are vast. Social media, which has been described as the greatest revolution since the Gutenberg printing press, can provide patients with faster and easier access to doctors …

Why doctors need to be more like Malcolm Gladwell

Kevin Pho, MD

October 17, 2013Oct 17, 2013·10

In case you haven't heard, Malcolm Gladwell recently released his book, David and Goliath. I'm just about finished reading it. Just as interesting as the book are its reviews. In a recent post from Slate, Gladwell himself responds to the…

In case you haven’t heard, Malcolm Gladwell recently released his book, David and Goliath. I’m just about finished reading it.

Just as interesting as the book are its reviews. In a recent post from Slate, Gladwell himself responds to the criticism. He freely admits that his books should not be held as pinnacles of academic rigor, but should be considered “intellectual adventures stories.”

He further elaborates on the power …

The OR is not a good place for a prank

Skeptical Scalpel, MD

October 2, 2013Oct 2, 2013·6

An anesthesiologist at a California hospital pasted stickers simulating a mustache and teardrops on the face of a hospital employee while she was having surgery on a finger. According to the Los Angeles Times, the doctor said, "I thought she…

An anesthesiologist at a California hospital pasted stickers simulating a mustache and teardrops on the face of a hospital employee while she was having surgery on a finger.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the doctor said, “I thought she would think this is funny and she would appreciate it.”

And if that wasn’t bad enough, a “nursing attendant” took a photograph.

The patient, who said she had to quit her job …

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The OR is not a good place for a prank

Independent doctors: Update your shingle for today’s digital times

Margalit Gur-Arie

August 27, 2013Aug 27, 2013·4

When a doctor, a lawyer, an accountant or any other professional graduated from university, or moved to a new town, he or she would most often locate a nice little office, prepare it for the big day and hang out a shingle to let the world know that new services are available. The world back then consisted of the immediate neighborhood in the big city or an entire small town …

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Social media in medicine

Real physician voices, twice a week

The Podcast

Latest episodes

Alzheimer’s treatment works best early, so why are patients waiting?

Clinical trials answer drug questions. Health questions need other tools.

Is your clinical AI tool safe? 4 questions to ask first

Hidden fees in employer health plans are about to come out

Bringing a newborn home? What hospitals don’t tell new parents

Most popular

Shy doctors can lead: imposter syndrome and the path to physician leadership

Physician pay won’t budge for one doctor. Negotiate as a group.

Fired for seeing her own patients: moral injury and life after medicine

U.S. health care won’t be fixed until everyone can see a doctor

Joining a private practice? Get the partnership terms in writing first.

The Podcast

Latest episodes

Alzheimer’s treatment works best early, so why are patients waiting?

Clinical trials answer drug questions. Health questions need other tools.

Is your clinical AI tool safe? 4 questions to ask first

Hidden fees in employer health plans are about to come out

Bringing a newborn home? What hospitals don’t tell new parents

Most popular

Shy doctors can lead: imposter syndrome and the path to physician leadership

Physician pay won’t budge for one doctor. Negotiate as a group.

Fired for seeing her own patients: moral injury and life after medicine

U.S. health care won’t be fixed until everyone can see a doctor

Joining a private practice? Get the partnership terms in writing first.