Why Mayo Clinic is a power user of social media: "Our patients are doing it, so this is where we need to be"

Mayo Clinic's first-ever Social Media Residency took place October 20-21, 2011. At the end of the first day, the attendees went out on a video interview assignment. Check out some of the videos they returned with.

The best interest of the patient is the only interest to be considered

The Mayo Clinic CEO, John Noseworthy, M.D., pointed out recently that Mayo intends to be the leader in social media in healthcare but this is not about competitive advantage, it is about the patient. The best interest of the patient is the only interest to be considered. Social media makes the union of forces more broadly practical than at any time in human history.

Social Media and Medicine is a Good Marriage, says Mayo Clinic director for social media: We're judged more by how well we listen, than by what we say (http://goo.gl/0ECin).

If you work for Mayo Clinic, social media is not an option, it's a job requirement http://bit.ly/IHf3lM - Others will follow.

References:

Social media in medicine: How to be a Twitter superstar and help your patients and your practice

Understanding Healthcare Power of Attorney - Cleveland Clinic video

This is very important: Advance directives are legal documents that provide instructions about who should oversee your medical treatment and what your end-of-life wishes are, in case you are unable to speak for yourself.

Advance directives include:

- Health Care Power of Attorney
- Living Will



Everyone over the age of 18 should consider assigning Health Care Power of Attorney to someone.

Collective patient data has power to comfort, explain and predict - TED video

"When Jamie Heywood's brother was diagnosed with ALS, he devoted his life to fighting the disease as well. The Heywood brothers built an ingenious website where people share and track data on their illnesses -- and they discovered that the collective data had enormous power to comfort, explain and predict." TED Talks.