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Social media in medicine

479 articles · Since 2007

Articles, page 9

5 advantages of online patient communities

9

A support group has many potential benefits, some of which include improving coping skills, reducing anxiety, depression, isolation, ignorance about the condition and others. Online patient communities (OPCs) are a recent phenomenon. Some are open (with respect to type of…

A support group has many potential benefits, some of which include improving coping skills, reducing anxiety, depression, isolation, ignorance about the condition and others.  Online patient communities (OPCs) are a recent phenomenon.  Some are open (with respect to type of member or fee) and some are more focused and closed.  Irrespective of the type, OPCs have blossomed. It is a major indication of social media’s penetration into healthcare (or vice versa) and why …

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5 advantages of online patient communities

The effect of Facebook on organ donor registration

Recently, there has been a great deal in the press surrounding organ transplantation. Sarah Murnaghan, the courageous little girl with end stage cystic fibrosis, captured the nation’s attention as she waited for a life saving lung transplant. The organ transplantation…

Recently, there has been a great deal in the press surrounding organ transplantation.  Sarah Murnaghan, the courageous little girl with end stage cystic fibrosis, captured the nation’s attention as she waited for a life saving lung transplant.  The organ transplantation and procurement system in the US today is not without flaws.  Organs are at a premium and finding the best way to allocate them to matched patients who …

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The effect of Facebook on organ donor registration

Facebook medical advice isn’t what’s best for your child

It happens about once a week. As I scroll through Facebook and peruse the latest happenings, I notice that someone (usually a mom of small children, like me) has posed a question to their Facebook friends about some type of…

It happens about once a week. As I scroll through Facebook and peruse the latest happenings, I notice that someone (usually a mom of small children, like me) has posed a question to their Facebook friends about some type of health dilemma.

“Little Sally is cutting teeth, and she’s miserable. What can I give her to make her feel better?”

“Johnny has such a bad cough, and he can barely breathe. Anyone …

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Facebook medical advice isn’t what’s best for your child

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Why this doctor writes and puts himself out there

11

Recently, Dr. Mike Sevilla decided to hang up his podcasting mic, his blogging tools, his Twitter creds, and his Facebook presence, all in one fell swoop. Find out more about Mike the man, and why he decided to take this…

Recently, Dr. Mike Sevilla decided to hang up his podcasting mic, his blogging tools, his Twitter creds, and his Facebook presence, all in one fell swoop. Find out more about Mike the man, and why he decided to take this drastic action, at his website.

Now, I have known Mike for some time on Twitter primarily, where we will sometimes comment back and forth about issues of the …

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Why this doctor writes and puts himself out there

Anonymous blogging is needed for physicians to blow the whistle

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Don’t ask me nothin’ about nothin’, I just might tell you the truth. – Bob Dylan I just read an interesting post by Dr. Jennifer Gunter. Apparently, the entirety of what we are doing here at Dr. Whitecoat, and on…

Don’t ask me nothin’ about nothin’, I just might tell you the truth. 
– Bob Dylan

I just read an interesting post by Dr. Jennifer Gunter. Apparently, the entirety of what we are doing here at Dr. Whitecoat, and on internet communities and blogs like Student Doctor Network and Sermo, is unethical, according to the General Medical Council in Britain. How dare we not use our real names on social media as physicians and …

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Anonymous blogging is needed for physicians to blow the whistle

How to evaluate health websites

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A recent survey found that 60 percent of adults have gone online at least once in the past year to look up health information. Unfortunately, finding high-quality health websites is a challenge. Several years ago, a review of 79 studies…

A recent survey found that 60 percent of adults have gone online at least once in the past year to look up health information. Unfortunately, finding high-quality health websites is a challenge. Several years ago, a review of 79 studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that online health information for consumers is frequently flawed, inaccurate, or biased. Based on my experience, the …

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How to evaluate health websites

What does managing a loved one’s digital legacy really look like?

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With the recent Pew Report announcing that “caregivers are wired for support” and digital estate planning resources entering our mainstream consciousness, many of us have been inspired to think about the end of life and our online selves. And we…

With the recent Pew Report announcing that “caregivers are wired for support” and digital estate planning resources entering our mainstream consciousness, many of us have been inspired to think about the end of life and our online selves.  And we should.  Hundreds of thousands of Facebook users die each year, the average American believes that she has almost $55,000 worth of digital assets, though most of us –  …

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What does managing a loved one’s digital legacy really look like?

If your teens are on social media, you need to be there too

3

Teens, smartphones, Facebook, Instagram, and a myriad of other social apps. What do they have in common? Well they simply go together these days. Just look around and if you spot a teen, he/she is likely virtually connected, phone firmly…

Teens, smartphones, Facebook, Instagram, and a myriad of other social apps. What do they have in common? Well they simply go together these days. Just look around and if you spot a teen, he/she is likely virtually connected, phone firmly in hand.

The social landscape has certainly changed since our own teen years and it’s up to us as parents to catch up.

There …

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If your teens are on social media, you need to be there too

5 benefits of online patient communities

If one searches for "online patient communities" over 19 million Internet sites are found. Online patient communities (OPCs) may exist as subgroups of social media sites, non-profit organizations, and increasingly as part of websites of healthcare organizations and stand alone…

If one searches for “online patient communities” over 19 million Internet sites are found.  Online patient communities (OPCs) may exist as subgroups of social media sites, non-profit organizations, and increasingly as part of websites of healthcare organizations and stand alone sites.

Online communities are now becoming a rich source of information gleaned from their discussions.  This information will be increasingly used for both clinical and commercial purposes. I will touch on themes which …

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5 benefits of online patient communities

Why social media is an imperative for disaster psychiatry

Hidden amongst all the intense media coverage surrounding Facebook’s IPO, there was a news item that was covered so briefly that if you blinked you may have missed it: Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, took a trip to Japan and during…

Hidden amongst all the intense media coverage surrounding Facebook’s IPO, there was a news item that was covered so briefly that if you blinked you may have missed it: Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, took a trip to Japan and during this visit told Japan’s Prime Minister that the terrible Tsunami that had struck the country in 2011 had inspired him to find ways that the social network could help people after …

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Why social media is an imperative for disaster psychiatry

Why doctors should be allowed to post anonymously online

21

The General Medical Council in Britain released new guidelines on social media for medicine. Essentially, if you are a doctor in the United Kingdom the GMC does not believe that you should be able to tweet/blog/post anonymously if you self-identify…

The General Medical Council in Britain released new guidelines on social media for medicine. Essentially, if you are a doctor in the United Kingdom the GMC does not believe that you should be able to tweet/blog/post anonymously if you self-identify as a physician. The exact wording is as follows:

“If you identify yourself as a doctor in publicly accessible social media, you should also identify yourself by name. Any material written by …

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Why doctors should be allowed to post anonymously online

How Edward Snowden and PRISM affect health care social media

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Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing on the NSA’s PRISM program raises some interesting questions regarding social media in healthcare. I had a few physicians both inside and outside of the community I manage ask, “Is the government watching what I say about…

Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing on the NSA’s PRISM program raises some interesting questions regarding social media in healthcare. I had a few physicians both inside and outside of the community I manage ask, “Is the government watching what I say about my clinical experiences?” The answer is of course “Not yet,” but the sentiment weighs heavier than the question, and the weeklong dip …

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How Edward Snowden and PRISM affect health care social media

Tracking cancer conversations online: The Social Oncology Project 2013

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As some 30,000 doctors, patient advocates, healthcare companies and journalists descended on Chicago for ASCO, there was a great deal of anticipation about what new research would be presented, and what kind of conversation and controversy might arise as a…

As some 30,000 doctors, patient advocates, healthcare companies and journalists descended on Chicago for ASCO, there was a great deal of anticipation about what new research would be presented, and what kind of conversation and controversy might arise as a result.

That anticipation, it turns out, requires some patience, filtering, and a really big net.  In fact, the amount of clinical data available in oncology has increased exponentially over the last …

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Tracking cancer conversations online: The Social Oncology Project 2013

Why this pediatrician is worried about Snapchat

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We've all been hearing about the cool app Snapchat, which allows people to send pictures and videos that only last a few seconds before disappearing. Because of the disappearing thing, the worry that I keep reading about is that teens…

We’ve all been hearing about the cool app Snapchat, which allows people to send pictures and videos that only last a few seconds before disappearing. Because of the disappearing thing, the worry that I keep reading about is that teens will use it for sexting, figuring that it’s no problem if they take sexy pictures or videos, because they won’t last.

Now I worry about sexting as much as anybody else …

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Why this pediatrician is worried about Snapchat

4 reasons why patients should blog

2

Social media has opened a whole new world for patients. Now, information about disease is readily accessible and available to everyone. Certainly, there are issues with reliability and accuracy of internet sources and this can create uneasiness and misunderstanding for…

Social media has opened a whole new world for patients.  Now, information about disease is readily accessible and available to everyone.  Certainly, there are issues with reliability and accuracy of internet sources and this can create uneasiness and misunderstanding for both physician and patient.

However, the internet can also provide many new therapeutic possibilities.  In particular, online support groups, twitter chats and blogging can provide a positive outlet for patients suffering …

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4 reasons why patients should blog

Why you shouldn’t give medical advice on Twitter

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A few weeks ago I was following an online discussion conducted by a widely followed health site. During the discussion, they had a physician who was giving out wellness advice to users via Twitter. That physician had one tweet in…

A few weeks ago I was following an online discussion conducted by a widely followed health site.

During the discussion, they had a physician who was giving out wellness advice to users via Twitter.

That physician had one tweet in particular that terrified me.

Medical-twitter14-338x600

Medical-twitter23

As the above screenshot shows, one tweet mentioned that when in doubt regarding …

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Why you shouldn’t give medical advice on Twitter

Blurring the lines of ethics when doctors use social media

The position paper from the American College of Physicians and the Federation of State Medical Boards, is a humbling reminder of the challenges that today's physicians face when entering the online space. Their recommendations for online medical professionalism, written by…

The position paper from the American College of Physicians and the Federation of State Medical Boards, is a humbling reminder of the challenges that today’s physicians face when entering the online space.

Their recommendations for online medical professionalism, written by ethics committees for the two organizations, “provides recommendations about the influence of social media on the patient–physician relationship, the role of these media in public perception of physician behaviors, and strategies for physician–physician …

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Blurring the lines of ethics when doctors use social media

10 simple rules for doctors on social media

How should doctors behave online? This is a funny question, isn’t it? Medical establishment loves rules and hierarchy. Social media does not. Social media levels the playing field of who gets to talk; it gives real caregivers a voice. That’s…

How should doctors behave online? This is a funny question, isn’t it?

Medical establishment loves rules and hierarchy. Social media does not. Social media levels the playing field of who gets to talk; it gives real caregivers a voice. That’s very cool.

This is just a guess, but I suspect there are many more acts left to play out in the healthcare social media play.

The American College of Physicians and the Federation …

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10 simple rules for doctors on social media

Finding a doctor online and researching your physician on the Internet

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"How can I find a doctor online?" A seemingly simple question, but patients are often confronted with too much information on the Internet, with variable quality. Finding a doctor a similar to completing a puzzle. Like puzzle pieces, there are…

Part of the KevinMD toolkit series.

“How can I find a doctor online?”

A seemingly simple question, but patients are often confronted with too much information on the Internet, with variable quality.

Finding a doctor a similar to completing a puzzle.  Like puzzle pieces, there are many resources available, including word of mouth, hospitals, insurance companies, and physician rating sites.

Don’t …

Read more…

Finding a doctor online and researching your physician on the Internet

Why Groupon and other social coupons are unethical in healthcare

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In addition to the possible legal pitfalls of advertising on Groupon-type websites, there are also ethical and practice management concerns to be weighed by healthcare practitioners before agreeing to such arrangements. Even with the recent announcement that companies such as…

In addition to the possible legal pitfalls of advertising on Groupon-type websites, there are also ethical and practice management concerns to be weighed by healthcare practitioners before agreeing to such arrangements. Even with the recent announcement that companies such as Groupon and LivingSocial may be offering contracts to healthcare providers that take into consideration the prohibition against fee splitting, practitioners should nonetheless proceed with caution.

The concerns about social coupons in the healthcare context extend …

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Why Groupon and other social coupons are unethical in healthcare

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