Physicians writing on KevinMD about being a doctor on X, formerly Twitter: professional presence and reputation, trolling and shaming, medical misinformation, building a following for a practice, and what the platform does to the people on it. Most of the archive dates from 2009 to 2019, when physicians were deciding whether to be there at all.
I was recently asked by Adam Sharp, MD the Chief Medical Officer of Sermo, the physician-only online community at Sermo.com, to write a guest post of my choosing and facilitate a discussion about it for a few days. My choice?…
I was recently asked by Adam Sharp, MD the Chief Medical Officer of Sermo, the physician-only online community at Sermo.com, to write a guest post of my choosing and facilitate a discussion about it for a few days. My choice? Social media, (based on the recent article colleagues and I co-published in The Permanente Journal). This post is about my experience and what I learned.
Recently we saw a flurry of discussions about online physician professionalism, the merits of being anonymous, and teachable moments. As a newbie I'm trying to figure this out. But I need to be more mindful of the filter bubble -…
Recently we saw a flurry of discussions about online physician professionalism, the merits of being anonymous, and teachable moments. As a newbie I’m trying to figure this out. But I need to be more mindful of the filter bubble – a self-imposed bias by preferentially linking to people and things we agree with, thus unwittingly trivializing reasonable alternatives.
There have been a couple of widely-publicized cases recently of physicians divulging patient information in social media. I’m sure the doctors involved did not intend to violate patient privacy. While there are several excellent guidelines and policies on this topic,…
While there are several excellent guidelines and policies on this topic, there isn’t a whole lot of practical advice, so here are my tips to help you avoid privacy violations (I hope this is the beginning of a conversation …
I’m all for the values of social media, as evidenced by my frequent use of Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and LinkedIn. Recently, I realized again the value of a telephone conversation. I was on the phone with someone who I consider…
I’m all for the values of social media, as evidenced by my frequent use of Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and LinkedIn.
Recently, I realized again the value of a telephone conversation. I was on the phone with someone who I consider a mentor, someone who has fiercely guided me through my journey into social media without knowing the power of what was being done. It was the best 20 minutes of …
According to one of the the guidelines set forth by the AMA about professionalism in social media, "When physicians see content posted by colleagues that appears unprofessional they have a responsibility to bring that content to the attention of the…
According to one of the the guidelines set forth by the AMA about professionalism in social media, “When physicians see content posted by colleagues that appears unprofessional they have a responsibility to bring that content to the attention of the individual, so that he or she can remove it and/or take other appropriate actions.”
by Eliah Aronoff-Spencer, MD, PhD Lately I’ve been using social media sites like Quora and Stack Overflow and I’m awed by the intelligent and creative solutions that arise from collective conversation and collaboration. We hear about Twitter-revolutions and see sites…
by Eliah Aronoff-Spencer, MD, PhD
Lately I’ve been using social media sites like Quora and Stack Overflow and I’m awed by the intelligent and creative solutions that arise from collective conversation and collaboration.
We hear about Twitter-revolutions and see sites like Ushahidi empowering Africans …
To my friends and colleagues in the CME community, I ask of you today a simple favor: involve yourself in social media. Immerse yourself in social media. Do what it takes to make social media a part of your, and…
To my friends and colleagues in the CME community, I ask of you today a simple favor: involve yourself in social media.
Immerse yourself in social media. Do what it takes to make social media a part of your, and your place of employment’s, daily routine.
Every morning at 5:30 AM, I am at my computer scouring the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and other news sources for articles about health care and wellness. These articles are then summarized in 140…
Every morning at 5:30 AM, I am at my computer scouring the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and other news sources for articles about health care and wellness.
These articles are then summarized in 140 characters with a link to the original article and tweeted. As of today there are 3700 followers of my informal aggregated health care news service, and I hear about it if …
David C. Kibbe and Joseph C. Kvedar’s article, "Building a Research Agenda for Participatory Medicine" highlighted two of their "ready-to-go" research questions: What is the role of coaching in sparking and supporting increased participation over time? What can we learn…
What is the role of coaching in sparking and supporting increased participation over time?
What can we learn from research on how social norms shape behavior—with the idea of developing hypotheses on whether social networks could serve as a coaching tool?
Recently, the Legacy Foundation’s Schroeder Institute focused …
I recently concluded a trip down to Nashville, TN where I gave my talk on the health care-social media intersection at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. My audience normally consists of physicians and hospital staff, so talking to students was…
I recently concluded a trip down to Nashville, TN where I gave my talk on the health care-social media intersection at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
My audience normally consists of physicians and hospital staff, so talking to students was a refreshing change.
I had the opportunity to have dinner the night before, and breakfast and lunch the day …
The following op-ed was published on February 22nd, 2011 in AOL News. If you woke up one day with an earache, you could call your doctor's office for help. Or you could do what the majority of patients do today…
The following op-ed was published on February 22nd, 2011 in AOL News.
If you woke up one day with an earache, you could call your doctor’s office for help. Or you could do what the majority of patients do today and Google what to do first.
Type “earache” into your Web browser and the results can vary wildly. Search engines can return results saying that an earache can be from the common cold, …
How important is it for hospitals to engage in social media platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter? It's essential. Nowhere is that more evident than in the controversy concerning infant Joseph Maraachli. Without getting too involved in the politics or…
What is the physician's most precious possession? Some might answer that it is his patients. Others might respond it is the training and education that the physician has obtained to practice his (or her's) craft. But the real answer is…
What is the physician’s most precious possession? Some might answer that it is his patients.
Others might respond it is the training and education that the physician has obtained to practice his (or her’s) craft.
Ten years on, Ian Morrison’s "Hamster Health Care: Time to Stop Running Faster and Redesign Health Care" is still eminently applicable. In his words: Across the globe doctors are miserable because they feel like hamsters on a treadmill. They must…
Across the globe doctors are miserable because they feel like hamsters on a treadmill. They must run faster just to stand still. In … the managed care systems in the United States doctors feel that they have to see more patients to maintain their incomes. But systems …
Mike Morrison tweets for Massachusetts General Hospital as @MassGeneralNews and for Massachusetts General Hospital for Children as @MGHfC. I met Mike when I tweeted about the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine including @MassGeneralNews in my tweet and Mike immediately followed…
I met Mike when I tweeted about the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine including @MassGeneralNews in my tweetand Mike immediately followed me.
I contacted him to find out what his strategy is for Twitter use and what the benefits have been.
by Jerry Levin For all of us -- young, old, and those in the middle -- life is simply an interlude between doctors' visits. This perspective, while obvious, perennially stays beneath our consciousness since we are consumed by the daily…
by Jerry Levin
For all of us — young, old, and those in the middle — life is simply an interlude between doctors’ visits. This perspective, while obvious, perennially stays beneath our consciousness since we are consumed by the daily pursuit of personal identity as if our mind-body-and-spirit were to function without incident and without end. More powerfully of late is the recognition that the explosive neglect of mental …
Both the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPAC), as well as the stimulus bill from last year included funding, which focused on the use of health information technology (HIT) and electronic health records (EHRs). These initiatives are aimed at…
Both the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPAC), as well as the stimulus bill from last year included funding, which focused on the use of health information technology (HIT) and electronic health records (EHRs). These initiatives are aimed at getting health care providers and entities to begin using information technology to improve the quality, efficiency, and delivery of care to patients.
Along the same lines as using HIT, a recent article …
You are in the middle of a deposition. Plaintiff’s lawyer asks, “Do you blog or tweet?” Before you answer, consider this. If you blog or tweet and respond in the affirmative, I believe anything you have ever posted would be…
You are in the middle of a deposition.
Plaintiff’s lawyer asks, “Do you blog or tweet?” Before you answer, consider this. If you blog or tweet and respond in the affirmative, I believe anything you have ever posted would be subject to discovery by the plaintiff. Oh, you post anonymously? Would you then lie under oath and say you do not blog or tweet? For many physicians, admitting that you blog …
If you listen to the discussions in health care circles about social media, you get the idea that social media is complicated, time consuming and a liability nightmare. Nah. It’s not that hard and can actually be quite simple if…
If you listen to the discussions in health care circles about social media, you get the idea that social media is complicated, time consuming and a liability nightmare.
Nah.
It’s not that hard and can actually be quite simple if you consider your options carefully and logically.
Let’s look at a simple social media plan any health care professional can use.
If you’re even considering using social media to market or connect with current …
It took me most of 2010 to weight up the pros and cons of starting a blog. I already have a busy, well-established rheumatology practice and our clinic has grown steadily through word-of-mouth. There’s also always enough jobs on the…
It took me most of 2010 to weight up the pros and cons of starting a blog.
I already have a busy, well-established rheumatology practice and our clinic has grown steadily through word-of-mouth. There’s also always enough jobs on the to-do list without adding another regular task. Is it worth the risk? What is the risk?
In my first blog, I’ve tried to explain why I ended up agreeing to do this. …
According to one of the the guidelines set forth by the AMA about professionalism in social media, “When physicians see content posted by colleagues that appears unprofessional they have a responsibility to bring that content to the attention of the individual, so that he or she can remove it and/or take other appropriate actions.”
My audience normally consists of physicians and hospital staff, so talking to students was a refreshing change.
