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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

Why I’m not hiding social media from residency interviews

As Match Day for the Class of 2012 quickly fades into the background and residency applications for my class begin to appear on the horizon, I find my classmates starting to disappear from Facebook and other socially-oriented websites. "Are you…

As Match Day for the Class of 2012 quickly fades into the background and residency applications for my class begin to appear on the horizon, I find my classmates starting to disappear from Facebook and other socially-oriented websites.

“Are you taking your blog down for application and interview season?” someone innocently asked, “I mean, some program directors just may not appreciate the social media involvement as much as you do.”

The question, …

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Why I’m not hiding social media from residency interviews

Social Media in Medicine

How to maintain physician professionalism in social media

Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it. - Bertolt Brecht In prior posts, I have discussed the issue of professionalism and social media. I have also taken issue with medical…

Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.
– Bertolt Brecht

In prior posts, I have discussed the issue of professionalism and social media.  I have also taken issue with medical organizations’ extant social media guidelines.  In some of these posts’ comments, it has been noted that there is no corresponding guideline or document that expressly discusses …

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How to maintain physician professionalism in social media

Social Media in Medicine

5 ways to make social media work for doctors and their patients

There's no question that social media is taking root in the healthcare field, and will only continue to grow in importance. According to a recent Pew Internet survey, four out of five Internet users have searched for health information online,…

There’s no question that social media is taking root in the healthcare field, and will only continue to grow in importance.  According to a recent Pew Internet survey, four out of five Internet users have searched for health information online, making health one of the most searched topics on the internet. While on the one hand, this is good news for doctors since patients are often using the information they …

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5 ways to make social media work for doctors and their patients

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Social Media in Medicine

Refer patients to Twitter for weight loss

Lifestyle interventions are effective, but require multiple visits of behavioral, nutrition, and exercise counseling over 6 months to 2 years if delivered true to original form. Few medical centers offer such services, leaving this care to be handled by commercial…

Lifestyle interventions are effective, but require multiple visits of behavioral, nutrition, and exercise counseling over 6 months to 2 years if delivered true to original form.  Few medical centers offer such services, leaving this care to be handled by commercial vendors or simply leaving patients to deal with their weight on their own. This predicament is likely a factor in the development of a $60 billion fad diet industry, which …

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Refer patients to Twitter for weight loss

Health Technology

Impersonal communication on the Internet fuels cyberbullying

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…

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 …

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Impersonal communication on the Internet fuels cyberbullying

Social Media in Medicine

Why doctors should embrace Google+

Lots of pressure out there for you to be on Facebook and Twitter, right? The ultimate question is, how are you using Facebook and Twitter to support your goals? Are you connecting with patients? Are you reaching out to peers…

Lots of pressure out there for you to be on Facebook and Twitter, right? The ultimate question is, how are you using Facebook and Twitter to support your goals? Are you connecting with patients? Are you reaching out to peers and friends? It is great to have a big following, but does that turn into real, authentic meaning for you? If you are like most doctors, the answer is a …

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Why doctors should embrace Google+

Social Media in Medicine

Using Twitter to deliver health improvement messages

I have decided to spam for public health. Phone calls, text messaging, and even apps have been shown to help improve health and sustain behavior change, even in people suffering from profound mental illness. But when it comes to using…

I have decided to spam for public health.

Phone calls, text messaging, and even apps have been shown to help improve health and sustain behavior change, even in people suffering from profound mental illness. But when it comes to using these tools for public health, there are two problems. The first is that each message (whether via phone call or text) costs money. The second is that it’s quite hard …

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Using Twitter to deliver health improvement messages

Social Media in Medicine

Twitter Is my third office location

The physician’s decision to first dive into social media can be stress-inducing. Issues of time management, maintaining professionalism, and determining a return on the personal investment can limit our use of the various platforms. Twitter offers me a unique platform…

The physician’s decision to first dive into social media can be stress-inducing.  Issues of time management, maintaining professionalism, and determining a return on the personal investment can limit our use of the various platforms.

Twitter offers me a unique platform that I may use to connect with patients. I use it as a virtual office location.  While making personal connections with potential patients sounds daunting, it is actually a very natural …

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Twitter Is my third office location

Social Media in Medicine

The impact of social media on a physician assistant

The impact of social media on medicine could arguably be compared to the impact of the industrial revolution on the human condition. Access to newer means of technology at the turn of the century changed most of society from primarily…

The impact of social media on medicine could arguably be compared to the impact of the industrial revolution on the human condition. Access to newer means of technology at the turn of the century changed most of society from primarily agricultural, to flourishing manufacturing centres. At the end of the 20th century, with relocation of manufacturing centres and the birth of the digital age, the concept of the American dream …

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The impact of social media on a physician assistant

Social Media in Medicine

Physician online professionalism in social media

Dr. Bryan Vartabedian (on Twitter as @Doctor_V) posted to his blog the narrative of a Grand Rounds presentation he gave in which he focused on the risks and benefits of physicians’ use of social media. The post is long, but…

Dr. Bryan Vartabedian (on Twitter as @Doctor_V) posted to his blog the narrative of a Grand Rounds presentation he gave in which he focused on the risks and benefits of physicians’ use of social media.

The post is long, but provides an overview of Dr. V’s approach to social media.  If you review his blog, you will see that this post (and the related presentation) neatly summarizes …

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Physician online professionalism in social media

KevinMD

Show doctors the value when it comes to social media and EMRs

The common perception is that older doctors are more adverse to technology, especially when it comes to electronic medical records. Recent data, however, says that isn't true. According to a study cited in American Medical News, "physicians more than 10…

The common perception is that older doctors are more adverse to technology, especially when it comes to electronic medical records.

Recent data, however, says that isn’t true.

According to a study cited in American Medical News, “physicians more than 10 years out of medical school and those with higher patient volumes were more likely than younger and less busy physicians to …

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Show doctors the value when it comes to social media and EMRs

KevinMD

Bury bad doctor reviews with a strong physician social media presence

When I talk about online presence to physicians, the first question I'm often asked is, "How do I remove a negative physician rating?" The short answer is, you can't. American Medical News came out with an article outlining the various…

When I talk about online presence to physicians, the first question I’m often asked is, “How do I remove a negative physician rating?”

The short answer is, you can’t.

American Medical News came out with an article outlining the various legal options physicians have …

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Bury bad doctor reviews with a strong physician social media presence

Social Media in Medicine

Doctor, Google thyself

Have you ever Googled yourself or your practice? Did you know that you have an ever growing online reputation? Whether you know it or not, doctors have an online presence. When you type your name in a search engine you…

Have you ever Googled yourself or your practice? Did you know that you have an ever growing online reputation? Whether you know it or not, doctors have an online presence. When you type your name in a search engine you may be surprised by what you find. Everything you do professionally creates a digital footprint. If you are involved in social media then you are contributing to your online reputation. …

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Doctor, Google thyself

Social Media in Medicine

A complete guide to planning a social media presence for healthcare

The world of healthcare is inherently siloed, tethered, fragmented and prone to poor communication and collaboration. Today, healthcare workers solve their problems via traditional methods that are often costly, inefficient, nor timely. Increasingly, more savvy healthcare workers are looking outside…

The world of healthcare is inherently siloed,  tethered,  fragmented and prone to poor communication and collaboration.  Today, healthcare workers solve their problems via traditional methods that are often costly, inefficient, nor timely.  Increasingly, more savvy healthcare workers are looking outside the system to digital media and communities for answers, but are challenged with uncertainty over concepts of usefulness, practicality, bandwidth issues, “ROI” and privacy concerns.

Establishing a digital presence is rapidly …

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A complete guide to planning a social media presence for healthcare

Social Media in Medicine

Why doctors should be careful on Twitter

Doctor, do you Tweet? No, not really. I registered on Twitter some years ago and began but did not keep it up, although I do have a number of Twitter followers. When I first checked Twitter out, the dominant drivel…

Doctor, do you Tweet?

No, not really. I registered on Twitter some years ago and began but did not keep it up, although I do have a number of Twitter followers. When I first checked Twitter out, the dominant drivel of narcissists pretty much turned me off.

Were you also slow to start using the Internet?

No, I quickly recognized a huge upside to a well-utilized Internet, so we were very early …

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Why doctors should be careful on Twitter

Social Media in Medicine

Use social media to spread the family medicine revolution

It’s not easy trying to describe the importance of family medicine in 140 characters. Just a few months after I logged on to Twitter for the first time, I joined the "family medicine revolution," known as #FMrevolution on the social…

It’s not easy trying to describe the importance of family medicine in 140 characters. Just a few months after I logged on to Twitter for the first time, I joined the “family medicine revolution,” known as #FMrevolution on the social networking site. My friends immediately noticed a marked change in my tweets. “FM revolution?” they’d say. “Is pop radio making a comeback?” If you’ve turned on a stereo lately, you …

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Use social media to spread the family medicine revolution

Social Media in Medicine

A social media background is an asset in medicine

I have a confession to make. Lately I've been doing some soul-searching regarding the future of my social media presence. It started at a lecture I attended a few weeks ago, where students and residents were cautioned to avoid public…

I have a confession to make. Lately I’ve been doing some soul-searching regarding the future of my social media presence. It started at a lecture I attended a few weeks ago, where students and residents were cautioned to avoid public social media profiles and blogging. It came up again one morning while I was discussing some current events with other students, and was mentioned most recently at a professionalism …

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A social media background is an asset in medicine

Social Media in Medicine

Social networking has changed the landscape in health care

In a recent Harvard Business Review Blog, David Armano writes about the six pillars of influence that leads to measurably favorable outcomes. To achieve measurably better health, the pillars Armano explains can certainly be adopted. He notes how the "social…

In a recent Harvard Business Review Blog, David Armano writes about the six pillars of influence that leads to measurably favorable outcomes.

To achieve measurably better health, the pillars Armano explains can certainly be adopted.

He notes how the “social web can amplify signals, influence behavior and lead to action.”

Social networking has changed the landscape in health care.  Technology has paved the way for instant communication and feedback.

While some …

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Social networking has changed the landscape in health care

Social Media in Medicine

Social media and the modern day House of God

In 1978, as I neared the end of high school and readied myself for medical training, a book called House of God was published by a doctor under the pseudonym Samuel Shem. By the time I read it as an…

In 1978, as I neared the end of high school and readied myself for medical training, a book called House of God was published by a doctor under the pseudonym Samuel Shem.  By the time I read it as an intern eight years later it had become a cult classic among doctors.  Everyone I knew in my hospital read it, passing around the single copy we had, writing our names in …

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Social media and the modern day House of God

Social Media in Medicine

The pivotal role of social media in patient support

I would have told you, on our first visit, that I don't do well with soft science. But you appeared rushed, with an office full of patients, and I did not feel that I needed to explain my personality. You…

I would have told you, on our first visit, that I don’t do well with soft science. But you appeared rushed, with an office full of patients, and I did not feel that I needed to explain my personality. You see, I am a logical and rational thinker, and my primary goal in life is to understand the world around me.  I need proof. And then I probably need even …

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The pivotal role of social media in patient support

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