Best Practices for Social Media Use in Medical Education

This is a video presentation and summary by one of the best medical bloggers, Mike Cadogan of Life in the Fast Lane:



The Cycle Of Social Media In Medical Education he mentions is based in part on my concept of TIC, Two Interlocking Cycles for Physician and Patient Education.

Dr. Cadogan asked me for feedback on a few questions that he used to prepare the presentations a few weeks ago. The answers are listed below:

1) What are your TOP 3 TIPS for the intrepid doctors starting out on their social media crusade?

1. Post 3 times a week. Schedule posts in advance. In reality, 95% of medical bloggers probably quit within one year.

2. Use your blog to collect interesting ideas and share/comment on health news.

3. Write some original content, if you can, but if you don't have time, that's OK. You have a more important job as a physician in real world.

2) What are your TOP 3 TIPS for WHAT NOT TO DO on this crusade?

1. Don't disclose patient information.

2. Don't offend people.

3. Don't be unprofessional. If you use your real name, it's better to let your employer know about your social media activities. It's OK to start an anonymous blog/Twitter account to test the waters.

3) What are the top 3 benefits YOU see for the role of social media in medicine?

1. Provide expert info on health news and diseases. You, as a doctor, are the one who actually knows what he is talking about - if you stick to your area of expertise.

2. Collaborate with like-minded people.

3. Gather feedback (including critical feedback) for your ideas.

4. Grow your practice by providing high-quality actionable info to patients.

4) What (in your opinion) are the MOST USEFUL 'platforms/apps' in the social media revolution (e.g. Twitter, G+, Slideshare, Facebook, etc.)?

1. Start a blog.

2. Get useful feeds in Google Reader.

3. Share ideas and communicate on Twitter and Facebook.

Speaking from personal experience, I've started more than 30 blogs and still keep around about 7. It's important to find a purpose for your blog and other social media activities. If you don't enjoy it, you will stop eventually. Set limits and respect other priorities. Your family and your patients come first, blogs and social media are a distant second - if you spend most of your time in clinical medicine, of course. Stay away from trolls and online personas looking to start a fight. Ask for help when you need it.

References:

The Social Media Conversation
Social Media In Medical Education

Why blog? Notes from Dr. RW. A perfectly reasonable list. All doctors should consider blogging. It's do-it-yourself CME.
Social media in medical education - Grand Rounds presentation by IUH Med/Peds residency program director http://goo.gl/Zw3lK

Will Twitter soon be an essential tool for medical practices? asks CWRU

59% answered "yes", according to the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) poll.

Doctors are using Twitter to connect both with patients and other medical professionals.

Other doctors use Twitter to communicate with patients - generally not to give medical advice - but to guide the public to reputable sources of information, or share breaking medical news. The CDC, for instance, uses Twitter to provide constant updates on H1N1 influenza.

Finally, Twitter offers an opportunity for doctors to ask questions of other medical providers. Given the real-time nature of Twitter, opinions and answers to clinical issues can be obtained immediately.

Some doctors simply do not have enough time to Twitter, or utilize other social media applications like Facebook. And time spent with patients in the social media sphere is not compensated by health insurance.

But Twitter is a valuable way to reach thousands of people at once.

My opinion: I was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at CWRU until 2008 and I think it is great that the university community shows an active interest in social media services such as Twitter. Using Twitter frequently @DrVes, I follow 77 accounts and have around 3,500 followers. That said, I am yet to ask medical questions on Twitter and generally do not answer clinical queries from patients there.

References:

CWRUmedicine SHARE Twitter Poll

Assistant professor uses Twitter to teach students dental anatomy at Ohio State University - 113 of 200 students signed up, 56% http://goo.gl/jvyq7