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 …
How social media can help or hurt your health care career
People often say that they can die happy if …
Well, I have no intention of dying, but one of my goals in life was achieved recently. Historically, Facebook moms groups have been the bane of existence for many physicians, particularly pediatricians. We are often rated and compared like hotel mattresses. Well, last night one of my friends texted me, “Your practice is getting a lot of love on Facebook.” Now, …
The tide is turning: a pro-vaccine Facebook thread
“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 …
How social media can advance humanism in medicine
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 …
Physicians who don’t play the social media game may be left behind
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 social media if you were a clinician.
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, …
A call to clinicians: Contrary to what you’ve been taught, use social media
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 …
Digital advances in the medical aid in dying movement
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 …
A physician’s addiction to social media
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, …
Don’t judge when trainees use dating apps in the hospital
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:
Is social media a friend or foe of science?
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 …
How social media leads to a loss of creativity
Facebook. Where else could I stumble on a video of a baby hippo taking a bath, or Toto’s Africa performed on solo Harp? But among the shares and silliness and talent, there’s a dark side to Facebook. It’s become a fast way for quacks to push their scams and empty your wallet.
Just today in my feed I received a promoted post about a “food sensitivity test.” I’m not going to link directly …
Beware of food sensitivity tests on Facebook
A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
It is not uncommon for my patients and their family members to ask for my credentials at the end of our preoperative interview. Despite reaching my forties, my Asian genes have allowed me to maintain a youthful appearance – often causing apprehension about …
Surprising and unlikely rewards of social media engagement by physicians
As physicians and particularly surgeons, we deal with consent all the time. The process can be complex particularly for pediatric surgeons because we obtain it from the parents and the participation of the child in that process varies. For example, it is not unusual to be confronted with a parent who wants their child to undergo an elective operation. Yet that child, being 15 years-old, may have zero interest in …
Rethinking consent in the age of Facebook and Cambridge Analytica
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The power of social media is clearly evident in cases such as the Russian influence on our election and Mark Zuckerberg‘s realization of the need for transparency on his powerful platform of Facebook. However, maybe not so evident, is the transformative power of social media on health care trends and misinformation.
A popular new term for the misinformation regarding medical topics has arisen: pseudoscience. It has run rampant on sites such …
Beware of pseudoscience: The desperate need for physicians on social media
I have a colleague who is a pediatrician in private practice in the suburbs. He has a great practice and loves his patients. One day, he walked in 15 minutes late to a 7:00 a.m. meeting we both attend. “Moms are calling early today.” Parents in his practice have learned to bypass their elaborate phone triage system. They have learned that if you press “1” for emergency, an actual doctor …
Are patients using social media to attack physicians?
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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, …
The dangers of being always connected
The other day, rather than being at the office, I was sitting in the waiting room of our favorite gastroenterologist’s endoscopy suite. I had dutifully accompanied my wife, who was getting her colonoscopy. My cell phone buzzed. It was my nurse calling from the office. I had seen a patient late the previous day who was complaining of right leg pain.
I had ordered a D-dimer, hoping the test would be …
Here’s what it looks like when our health system actually works
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
Physicians have always been teachers, educating patients and families in the exam room, sharing handouts, hanging posters, and sometimes writing magazine articles and self-help books. Today, we have another communication tool, one that is far-reaching with significant impact: social media.
Americans use social media to consume massive amounts of digital content. The problem is much of it is misinformation, which is why it’s important for physicians to jump in and lend …
Physician engagement in social media is time well spent
At a time when physicians are feeling besieged on all sides, it hardly seems fair to write about the lack of civility demonstrated by some members of the profession on social media in Canada.
But it’s still an important issue that needs to be addressed — with the caveat that no profession or segment of society is blameless and the focus is due to the focus of this particular blog.
The post …
Physicians behaving badly on Twitter
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