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Sharing mental health issues on social media

Tarena Lofton

Social media

September 4, 2019

Susanna Harris was sitting in her lab class for her graduate program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when she received an email that told her she had failed what she describes as “the most important exam in grad school,” the doctoral qualifying exam. She took the rest of the day off, went home, and baked cookies.

Harris continued with her regular schedule: lab, work, home, repeat. Everything …

When physicians are cyberbullied: an interview with ZDoggMD

Monique Tello, MD

Social media

May 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, …

How social media can help or hurt your health care career

Health eCareers

Social media

March 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 our LinkedIn pages, we are always public, all the time — no matter what your privacy settings may have you believe.

For …

A physician’s addiction to social media

Amanda Xi, MD

Social media

February 1, 2019

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

How social media leads to a loss of creativity

Edwin Leap, MD

Social media

December 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 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 …

The dangers of being always connected

Greg Smith, MD

Physician

January 23, 2018

The ad is compelling.

A surfer rides a blue wave, seen from below in crystal clear reflection. The Apple Watch on his left arm cuts through the surf, elegant, sparkling ripples trailing behind. Suddenly, it breaks the surface, and the screen lights up, announcing an incoming call.

Let’s face it, shall we? We are always connected. We are always wired in. We are always on.

We have become a world of interconnected people, …

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The dangers of being always connected

Turn physicians into powerful health care influencers

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

August 11, 2017

Physicians have so many tools available to us that can turn them into powerful health care influencers.

A KevinMD keynote video excerpt. I’m currently considering opportunities for 2018: Please visit my physician keynote speaking page to find out more.

Turn physicians into powerful health care influencers

The OR is not a good place for a prank

Skeptical Scalpel, MD

Social media

October 2, 2013

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

Should doctors separate their personal and professional identities?

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

August 17, 2013

Most social media guidelines for physicians, most recently from the American College of Physicians and Federation of State Medical Boards, suggest that doctors separate their personal and professional identity.

Until physicians are better educated on how best to act professionally on social networks, keeping their online personal lives private is more likely to keep them out of trouble.

But is it time for that recommendation to be revised?

In a recent JAMA perspective …

Impersonal communication on the Internet fuels cyberbullying

Dominic A. Carone, PhD

Tech

February 22, 2012

In the old days, bullying used to consist of name calling or physical aggression from someone in a position of power over another, typically from a roughly similarly aged peer group. The bullying could be mild such as occasional name calling and having one’s books knocked down when walking in the hallway. This does not mean the effects of the bullying were mild but comparatively speaking, this is generally not …

How doctors can use Facebook responsibly

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

April 28, 2011

I was quoted recently in the New York Times’ Well blog, in a Danielle Ofri piece on Facebook and doctors.

There’s no question that Facebook has been a minefield of sorts for the medical professions, with infractions ranging from unprofessional conduct by medical students to patient privacy violations by attending physicians.

One solution would be for doctors to simply avoid …

Doctor reprimanded after patient privacy breached on Facebook, my take

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

April 20, 2011

Patient privacy and social media use in health care often go together when reported in mainstream media.

When physician blogs were a relatively new phenomenon several years ago, the majority of the media coverage focused on edge cases, where doctors inadvertently revealed patient information.

Only a minority of the headlines focused on the positive aspects, such as how …