Wednesday, August 29, 2012

SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE MEDICAL PROFESSION


I am a Luddite when it comes to social media, the web-based interactive media such as Facebook and other more professionally oriented ones like Linkedin.  I do have a Facebook page but I rarely use it. I have a blog where I post my poetry http://stephenleeder.blogspot.com.au/ but no one ever visits and another blog where I post extended versions of articles like this
http://steve-leeder-better-health.blogspot.com/. And yes, I have Tweeted 30 times!  Basically, I stick to email.

But my youngest son (19) belongs to a generation for whom social media are a principal social communication channel. Recent medical graduates know all about it and how to use it wisely and well. It serves to link doctor to doctor and to some extent patient to doctor.

Social media according toWikipedia includes “web- and mobile-based technologies that are used to turn communication into interactive dialogue among organisations, communities and individuals”.

Today, news travels like lightning via Twitter and Facebook.  "A common thread," says Wikipedia, "running through all definitions of social media is a blending of technology and social interaction for the [rapid] co-creation of value."

Social media are cheap to use.  Anyone can publish on them unlike on the commercial media.  And they are immediate: whereas it may take weeks to get an idea into print, with social media communication is now. You can edit an article easily on social media whereas reprinting to correct an error is a nightmare. 

Are the social media likely to be professionally useful?  My guess is that they will prove to be so.  A group of general practitioners could use social media to discuss how best to manage a group of patients in a local nursing home. But they might get their fingers burnt unless the social medium they were using was fenced off, like a gated village, for their use alone. 

Australian Doctor has established docs4docs for that purpose.  Take a look at http://just4docs.com.au/index.php/forums/topic/26/medicare-locals and see as an example a series of depressing conversational comments on Medicare Locals

If you are going to use social media for professional purposes please be careful.  A list of questions to ask yourself before you get too deeply into social media were provided in a paper published in the Medical Journal of Australia last year by a working group drawn from the AMA Council of Doctors in Training, NZMA Doctors-in-Training Council, AMSA, and the New Zealand Medical Students’ Association (NZMSA).
A guide from which the MJA paper was drawn can be found at http://ama.com.au/socialmedia.  Here are the questions.

Have you ever Googled yourself? Do you feel comfortable with the results that are shown?

Have you ever:

• Posted information about a patient or person from your workplace on Facebook?
• Added patients as friends on Facebook or MySpace?
• Added people from your workplace as friends?
• Made a public comment online that could be considered offensive?
• Become a member or fan of any group that might be considered racist, sexist, or otherwise derogatory?
• Put up photos or videos of yourself online that you wouldn’t want your patients, employers or people from your workplace to see?
• Felt that friends have posted information online that may result in negative consequences for them? Did you let them know?
• Checked your privacy settings?

So there you have it!  Good luck but take care!

24 comments:

  1. Dear Professor, now someone has visited. I found your post in australiandoctor.com.au. As a non doctor I could not read the whole post, but found your blogpost so I could read it, in its entirety. I have tweeted it for you under my Twitter name Jenniferlb. I tweet about Best Practise LinkedIn and Social Media Usage in Australia and run workshops for professional services people including Lawyers, Accountants, Financial Services and some Medical Professionals.

    I wonder what your goals are or might be with social media? I wonder what risk mitigation strategies the medical profession has in place when protecting online privacy, managing organisational and individual reputation.
    I would be happy to have a phone conversation or email dialogue about this.
    You can review my pofessional profile here:
    au.linkedin.com/in/jenniferleebishop
    or email me at: info@contentandcopy.com.au
    Best Regards
    Jennifer Bishop

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for great information you write it very clean. I am very lucky to get these tips from you.

    Regards,
    varicose veins in legs

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that i have really enjoyed reading your blog posts.

    Regards,
    varicose veins in legs

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your Blog is Fabulous. Good article rather. Very interesting.I admire the valuable information you offered in your article. Excellent submission very good post.

    Regards,
    Yan Katsnelson

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for sharing such a valuable information. It’s really amazing.
    nice sharing it is helpful me

    Healthy Supermarket

    ReplyDelete
  6. Privacy is one of the topmost concern of online media where only one's good judgment as to what they share online can make the difference..so be diligent.

    http://www.healthyaction.com.au/horny-goat-weed.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! great research. .thanks for sharing :))proana

    ReplyDelete
  8. weight loss

    This blog is truly awesome in all aspects.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Is it really necessary to make out separate health insurance policy for students ? I know that the cost of health care is increasing day by day and it is very important to make out this scheme. But is there an option that children can be covered under their parents health policy as making up a separate plan will be expensive.
    HCG

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for posting. I have been looking at health blogs because I am trying to get as much information as I can for my upcoming laparoscopic hysterectomy this month. I found your information on social media outlets quite helpful, and I will make sure to check what I have written about myself, as well as look for more medical information there. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  11. It is true that there will be shock, depression and potentially anger that comes with any diagnosis of cancer but it is important to remember that certain cancers are not as dire in the grand scheme of things. However, when there is a life altering diagnosis made, it is always best to weigh the options and determine what course of treatment will provide you personally the best quality of life.http://www.md247.com/md247-blog/category/2-telemedicine-.html

    ReplyDelete
  12. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  13. It's really amazing. i like it. I think people should try it. it's hard to do but we can try it. Thank you for sharing.

    Breathalyzers

    ReplyDelete
  14. Very informative review. I was excited to read along every lines of your discussion. Keep it up! Thank you :) cool beststretchmarkcream.co site

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks, to sharing the information about Sustaining innovation and Disruptive innovation. Disruptive innovations, like we have seen in other industries, can bring complex and costly health care products and services to greater levels of cost and access. Such a Disruptive Innovations That Will Change Your Life in Health Care. rogaine

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hey.
    Your all post is very nice.And ll article is very sweet.Than I have also a blog named Medical and health tips I want tips to improve my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I've used the NES miHealth as complementary health with one of my regular clients who was wanting to achieve greater comfort in her back - and after using several of the device's in-built programmes, my client is now reporting that she feels more relaxed than she has ever done in her life! thanks to my complementary health a lot........

    ReplyDelete
  18. Like your blog truly said but for,Diet and hormonal balance has direct impact on the fertility of the body, so the recommended diet plan in the Pregnancy Miracle Guide will not only sweep away the infertility but will also give you the healthy strong body that’s required to sustain this modern lifestyle.

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is a great post. I have been very much
    inspired from your post. Thank you for sharing.

    pure cambogia slim

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thank you for your great post. Your post is really valuable and help me a lot.Waiting for your next similar post.

    תוכנה לניהול מסעדות

    ReplyDelete
  21. Awesome for your sharing. I really love your story as it inspired me a lot since I alwasy want to open my own restaurant. Keep dreamming!
    Restaurant Management Software

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.