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Tips For Physicians Who Want To Get Involved In Social Media

My old friend and mentor, Ves Dimov, MD at Clinical Cases and Images shared some great instructions about how to start using social media as medical professionals.

– Start on Twitter, expand to a blog as natural progression.

– Input your blog posts automatically to a Facebook like/fan page.

– Listen to the leading physicians, nurses and patients’ voices on Twitter, and reply.

– Comment on blogs.

– Do not be afraid to share your expertise.

– Comply with HIPAA and common sense.

Also here is what Ves thinks about using Twitter.

I have published a series of similar entries on my Medicine 2.0 page.

*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*

Three Good Reasons For Healthcare Professionals To Use Social Networks

Social networking allows doctors, nurses and other health professionals to deeply connect and engage with the community and their colleagues.

“We are standing at the precipice of a new online revolution in health care. As more and more health experts embrace the Internet and increase their social media activity, health information seekers will undoubtedly benefit in profound ways.” [Source: Mashable]

Dynamic health and medical professionals engaged in social networking, using Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and YouTube are on the front-line of new modern medicine.

Today’s modern medicine is all about the patientParticipating, partnering and developing a professional relationship is paramount.

While many health consumers are searching the web for support, reassurance and specific health news and information; doctors and nurses continue to question the value of the internet for patients.

Social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Blogs are not a waste of time for health professionals because it offers value.

Social networking sites and blogs are a powerful and phenomenal platform to educate patients, raise awareness of health issues and it offers a forum to collaborate and connect.  It gives a voice to patients and it allows for the conversation to get started with their doctors and other health care professionals.

Doctors, nurses and other health professionals can help validate what is important for patients.

3 reasons why social networking is not a waste of time Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*

Are Social Networks Being Used For Psychomanipulation?

This Techcrunch post, The Illusion of Social Networks, is worth thinking about. The author Semil Shah suggests that we have a tendency to use social networks to create illusions for our audiences.  And over time these illusions compound to create something that may not reflect real life.  It’s a type of socical psychomanipulation.

But I wonder if Shah overstates the shady side of human social conduct.  I’m more optimistic about the promise of human connectedness.  The crowd is smarter than we think.  And while we can create any story possible, it’s ultimately the responsibility of the listening masses to decide what’s real.  It’s our job to ask the hard questions.  Be it television, the web, or our own homes, we’re individually responsible for who we let into our world. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*

Medical Meeting Vendors Don’t Know How To Use Twitter Appropriately

I’ve been to several major medical meetings recently and Twitter is beginning to see traction.  Slowly but surely Twitter hashtag use among doctors at meetings is growing.  The vendors are there, too. I attended AGA/Digestive Disease Week this week and I have been unimpressed with the attempts of vendors to participate in the back channel.  Those trying seem inept at real dialog.

Remember that a meeting’s Twitter feed is a communication channel, not an opportunity for spam.  Go ahead and remind us about your booth but only after contributing in a way that serves everyone in a non-promotional way (one pitch tweet for 10-20 informational tweets).

What works is sharing, not selling.  Take interest in the attendees.  Watch the feed.  Listen.  Re-tweet the interesting stuff.  Share some breaking medical information.  Reach out to attendees in a genuine, respectful way.  And fear is no excuse – because the most memorable dialog will not involve your drug or medical device.

Start there and Twitter will work for not only for you but everyone.

*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*

Why Family Medicine Needs Social Media

I wasn’t able to attend the Annual Leadership Forum (ALF) and the National Conference of Special Constituencies (NCSC) meetings in person this year. This is an annual meeting in Kansas City put on by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). I know that it can be hard to believe that someone actually likes going to a meeting. However, for me, these meetings always re-energize me and connect me with people with a passion for Family Medicine.

In 2010, there were only a few of us utilizing social media tools like twitter and facebook (including my blog posts from Thursday & Friday). However, just a year later, there seems to have been an explosion of people utilizing these platforms to a point yesterday when I saw a bunch of people signing up for the first time during the meeting. Even members of the AAFP Board of Directors were creating twitter accounts yesterday. Wow!

I really believe that this year, 2011, is when the Family Medicine community will more fully embrace social media, not only as a means of socialization, but also as a means of advocacy for our specialty. Here are some other reasons why I believe that Family Medicine needs social media: Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Family Medicine Rocks Blog - Mike Sevilla, MD*

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