Physicians writing on KevinMD about Facebook and social media: practice pages and patient communities, privacy and professionalism, a doctor's identity stolen for a scam, health misinformation, and the toll of the feed on physicians and their children. Most of the archive dates from 2007 to 2019.

5 advantages of online patient communities

Social Media in Medicine
August 2, 2013

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

Social Media in Medicine
July 31, 2013

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

Social Media in Medicine
July 29, 2013

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

Why this doctor writes and puts himself out there

Social Media in Medicine
July 21, 2013

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

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

Social Media in Medicine
July 1, 2013

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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 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 – Read more…

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

Social Media in Medicine
June 29, 2013

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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

Why social media is an imperative for disaster psychiatry

Social Media in Medicine
June 25, 2013

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

How Edward Snowden and PRISM affect health care social media

Social Media in Medicine
June 19, 2013

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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 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

Why caregivers should care about digital backups

Patient
June 2, 2013

You’ve heard all of the advice about backing up your computer regularly, making sure that you have your passwords stored in a safe place, protecting yourself against digital identity theft, but what does that have to do with providing care for a person with special needs?

Let’s count the ways.

First: Resources. Much of the information you need is online, and your personalized data may be password-protected. Anyone who has ever been …

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Why caregivers should care about digital backups

Blurring the lines of ethics when doctors use social media

Social Media in Medicine
May 28, 2013

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

Social Media in Medicine
May 26, 2013

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

7 downsides to participating in academic health care social media

Social Media in Medicine
May 9, 2013

I love social media so much that I give seminars on how academics should use it to advance their careers and fields of study.  Today I’m writing about what I hate about it to answer a question often posed to me by social media skeptics: what are the downsides to participating in social media?  At the risk of completely undermining my mission to encourage greater academic presence on social media, …

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7 downsides to participating in academic health care social media

How social media recharged this physician

Social Media in Medicine
May 1, 2013

In late fall of 2011, I was tired of medicine. While seeing patients was still enjoyable, I felt underappreciated in my employment and frustrated by the endless BS that I dealt with — new laws undermining the trust my patients place in me, increasing requirements from insurance companies for ordering tests or medications, more forms to sign, less time with patients, a cumbersome EHR to learn, more non-CME education requirements …

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How social media recharged this physician

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Why doctors should use their real name on Twitter

Social Media in Medicine
April 14, 2013

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The General Medical Council (UK) published new guidelines that state, “If you identify yourself as a doctor in publicly accessible social media, you should also identify yourself by name. Any material written by authors who represent themselves as doctors is likely to be taken on trust and may reasonably be taken to represent the views of the profession more widely.”  This has …

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Why doctors should use their real name on Twitter

4 reasons parents should enforce the age restriction on social media

Social Media in Medicine
February 21, 2013

During a routine office visit, I was discussing activities and extracurriculars with a bright 10-year old girl. She loved talking about her dance team, gymnastics, and her new hobby of horseback riding.

Towards the end of our conversation, however, she said something that surprised me: “And, I am addicted to Pinterest.”

I turned to her mother, who was also in the exam room, and asked, “Did you know she is on Pinterest? …

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4 reasons parents should enforce the age restriction on social media

The transformation of healthcare in the information age

Social Media in Medicine
February 18, 2013

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physician online reputationThis is the Foreword from Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices by Kevin Pho, MD, and Susan Gay (Greenbranch Publishing, 2013).

Information technology is transforming the way we teach, learn, communicate, work, play, and think. And there are few areas in which …

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The transformation of healthcare in the information age

4 tips for using social media to attract new patients

Social Media in Medicine
February 17, 2013

When it comes to attracting new patients using the Internet is crucial. Many people begin their searches for new products and services online. You may have heard before that word of mouth is the best type of advertising. While that is true, it is important to realize that a lot of that communication between people is happening online, rather than in person.

It is important for physicians to use social media …

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4 tips for using social media to attract new patients

3 reasons why patients should use social media

Social Media in Medicine
February 3, 2013

There’s been a lot of talk over the last year or so about the benefits (and some drawbacks) of physicians using social media. Social media use by physicians has become so widespread here in Canada that the Canadian Medical Association has actually developed guidelines to help physicians understand the rules of engagement on the web. But while there has been a lot of attention paid to physicians and social media, …

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3 reasons why patients should use social media

Online reputation for doctors: A comprehensive social media guide

Potpourri
January 30, 2013

Establishing, Managing and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices

I’m proud to announce my new book, co-written with Susan Gay: Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices. 

The Foreword is written by Robert Wachter, MD, with endorsements from Eric Topol, MD, Abraham Verghese, MD, Jerome Groopman, …

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Online reputation for doctors: A comprehensive social media guide

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