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Physicians on X (Twitter)

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.

Social Media in Medicine

Analyzing the Katie Couric effect on the vaccine conversation

On December 4th, 2013, Katie Couric gave the HPV vaccine center stage during a segment on her talk show, Katie. The segment, entitled “The HPV Controversy,” was 20 minutes long, but ignited a digital firestorm between pro- and anti-vaccine voices…

On December 4th, 2013, Katie Couric gave the HPV vaccine center stage during a segment on her talk show, Katie. The segment, entitled “The HPV Controversy,” was 20 minutes long, but ignited a digital firestorm between pro- and anti-vaccine voices that raged for days after the stage lights went dark.

In partnership with Global Prairie, the entire online conversation surrounding this Katie segment was digitally captured using …

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Analyzing the Katie Couric effect on the vaccine conversation

Social Media in Medicine

Why I tweet: A patient advocate view

Twitter -- its functions, benefits, risks and limitations -- has figured prominently in the heated discussion about Emma and Bill Keller's respective editorials in The Guardian (since deleted, though the archived version is still available) and the New York Times…

Twitter — its functions, benefits, risks and limitations — has figured prominently in the heated discussion about Emma and Bill Keller’s respective editorials in The Guardian (since deleted, though the archived version is still available) and the New York Times about the Twitter feed of Lisa Bonchek Adams. I have followed Lisa for a long time and greatly admire her thoughtful, highly …

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Why I tweet: A patient advocate view

Social Media in Medicine

Twitter and cancer patients: What to make of the outrage?

On one afternoon last week, I sat at my desk working on a paper when my iPhone buzzed, telling me I had a new message. This message, forwarded from my Twitter account, alerted me to an editorial published in the…

asco-logoOn one afternoon last week, I sat at my desk working on a paper when my iPhone buzzed, telling me I had a new message. This message, forwarded from my Twitter account, alerted me to an editorial published in the Guardian (which has since been removed because it was “inconsistent with the Guardian editorial code).

Entitled, “Forget funeral selfies. What are the ethics of tweeting …

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Twitter and cancer patients: What to make of the outrage?

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Social Media in Medicine

Can social media help measure physician quality?

I am consistently bemused by those who recommend more rigorous or more pervasive standardized testing as the primary means for insuring physician quality. The vast majority of physicians have already passed through a complex gauntlet of multiple choice exams, extended…

I am consistently bemused by those who recommend more rigorous or more pervasive standardized testing as the primary means for insuring physician quality. The vast majority of physicians have already passed through a complex gauntlet of multiple choice exams, extended credentialing and certification processes, and lengthy tests of knowledge and skill. And yet, some physicians (to put it bluntly, sorry friends) are very bad at what they do.

Intellectual …

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Can social media help measure physician quality?

Social Media in Medicine

Using Twitter to stay updated in scientific meetings

Well, I’ve done it again. It seems that everytime I try to make the early registration deadline for a conference, something seems to come up. One of the kids gets sick, a transmission breaks, I have a crazy week at…

Well, I’ve done it again. It seems that everytime I try to make the early registration deadline for a conference, something seems to come up. One of the kids gets sick, a transmission breaks, I have a crazy week at work … you know, life.

Unlike the past few years however, I’m very excited to say that I will be making it to the American College of Chest Physician’s annual scientific …

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Using Twitter to stay updated in scientific meetings

Social Media in Medicine

When social media connections with patients are NSFW

Patients have gone online, digital natives are entering medical schools and regulatory bodies, like the General Medical Council in the UK, are scrambling to respond to the impact these changes are having on medical professionalism. The possibilities for enhanced learning,…

Patients have gone online, digital natives are entering medical schools and regulatory bodies, like the General Medical Council in the UK, are scrambling to respond to the impact these changes are having on medical professionalism.

The possibilities for enhanced learning, better communication and higher quality care are vast. Social media, which has been described as the greatest revolution since the Gutenberg printing press, can provide patients with faster and easier access to doctors …

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When social media connections with patients are NSFW

Social Media in Medicine

The OR is not a good place for a prank

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…

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

Social Media in Medicine

Independent doctors: Update your shingle for today’s digital times

When a doctor, a lawyer, an accountant or any other professional graduated from university, or moved to a new town, he or she would most often locate a nice little office, prepare it for the big day and hang out…

When a doctor, a lawyer, an accountant or any other professional graduated from university, or moved to a new town, he or she would most often locate a nice little office, prepare it for the big day and hang out a shingle to let the world know that new services are available. The world back then consisted of the immediate neighborhood in the big city or an entire small town …

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Independent doctors: Update your shingle for today’s digital times

KevinMD

Should doctors separate their personal and professional identities?

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…

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 …

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Should doctors separate their personal and professional identities?

Social Media in Medicine

5 advantages of online patient communities

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

Social Media in Medicine

Why this doctor writes and puts himself out there

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

Social Media in Medicine

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

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 – Read more…

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

Social Media in Medicine

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

Social Media in Medicine

Why doctors should be allowed to post anonymously online

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

Social Media in Medicine

How Edward Snowden and PRISM affect health care social media

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

Social Media in Medicine

Tracking cancer conversations online: The Social Oncology Project 2013

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

Social Media in Medicine

Why this pediatrician is worried about Snapchat

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

Patient

Why caregivers should care about digital backups

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…

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

Social Media in Medicine

Why you shouldn’t give medical advice on Twitter

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

Social Media in Medicine

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

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