Why be involved in social media? When I speak with fellow physicians about my social media activity (blogging on this site and on my personal blog, Twitter, Tumblr, etc), I am often met with skepticism. Why should we bother? What is the point? What value is there in adding another task to one’s busy day? These questions are even more relevant if considered in the context of social media use outside the US–especially in developing nations and other parts of the world where internet access is not as easily available as it is here.
The #hcsmLA Twitter conversation (healthcare communications and social media in Latin America) involves a number of participants in Latin America, and issues of technology access and the digital divide (as well as the more hierarchical and paternalistic doctor/patient relationship often seen in Latin America) have been discussed in this context. Although in the US we do not face the same barriers as in much of Latin America, there are benefits from social media that apply in both settings. Is it possible to learn from health care social media analytics? « Colleen Young. Early on in the life of the #hcsmca community, I have relied on The Healthcare Hashtag Project to generate #hcsmca transcripts of our weekly chats and to gather analytical data.
I also use the site to register healthcare conference hashtags. I was very pleased when Symplur co-founders Howard Luks, MD (@hjluks), Tom Lee (@tmlfox) and Audun Utengen (@audvin) asked to consult with the #hcsmca community about learning from health care social media analytics during the chat on August 29th at 9pm ET. Guest post by Tom Lee and Audun Utengen Symplur is very excited to join the #hcsmca discussion this week!
My colleague Tom Lee (@tmlfox) and I, Audun Utengen (@audvin), spend much of our time building and maintaining The Healthcare Hashtag Project, which is heavily used by healthcare tweet chat participants! Hopefully you have found some use of this community project as well. Just a couple of weeks ago we reached a major milestone with over 100 million healthcare tweets archived in our database! ARJalali : First: #FB in #HC by Drs from... Twitter 101 for Docs: Twitter Lingo | Gut Check. At the end of my last post, I said we’d discuss some ways to enhance your professional community on Twitter in an upcoming post. But first, let’s remain in Twitter 101 so you can understand some of the intricacies of Twitter.
If you’ve been on Twitter for even a few days and you’ve started to follow a few people, you might be confused by some of the codes, words, and symbols you see. Don’t worry. Anyone who is on Twitter has had to figure it out at some point. Fortunately it isn’t too difficult to rapidly understand. Here are the basics you’ll need to more easily navigate the medical Twitter-sphere: “@” (e.g., @RyanMadanickMD): This is a user’s Twitter handle. In these two tweets, @cmaconthehill essentially retweeted the original tweet by @TonyclementCPC, but modified it so that he could comment on @TonyclementCPC’s original tweet.Shortened links: Take a look back at the tweets above by @BetterHealthGov or @rlbates. Like this: Like Loading... OK I’m on Twitter…Now What? A Primer for Physicians (aka Twitter 101 for Docs) | Gut Check.
So you’ve decided to take the plunge (or at least, dip your toes) into the Twitterverse. Congratulations! Welcome to a vibrant interactive community. You’ll find plenty of different personalities here and lots of opinions. But if you are like I was back in January 2011, you currently have no idea how to actually use Twitter, let alone how a physician might want to use it.
There are plenty of places to find information about how to start a Twitter account, (for example here), so I am going to take a leap of faith and say that if you are reading this, you have already set one up. If not, check out some online resources regarding starting your account and come back to this blog so you can figure out what you might want to do after the basic infrastructure is lay down (or, if you are just relatively adventurous, just head to Twitter and start your account without listening to any of the “pundits”). This post is not meant to give you the ins-and-outs about Twitter. Like this: Like Loading... J A M I A | Mobile. Authors Correspondence to Dr Lucila Ohno-Machado, University of California, San Diego, Division of Biomedical Informatics, 9500 Gilman Dr., Bldg 2 #0728, La Jolla, CA 92093 0728, USA; lohnomachado@ucsd.edu Contributors MvM developed the literature search criteria, performed the search and wrote the manuscript.
DvM assisted in scoring literature results for inclusion. LOM reviewed and edited the manuscript. Received 6 April 2012 Accepted 4 June 2012 Published Online First 3 July 2012 Abstract Adoption studies of social media use by clinicians were systematically reviewed, up to July 26th, 2011, to determine the extent of adoption and highlight trends in institutional responses. Footnotes Funding This article was financially supported by NIH R24TW008805 and U54HL108460. How Doctors Might Handle Medical Questions on Social Media Sites. I received a message from physician friend about how I handle medical questions on Facebook or Twitter. This is a common concern for doctors and it’s often used as an excuse for avoiding a public presence.
My ideas about doctor-patient communication are evolving and may well change as technology evolves. Here are a few thoughts. People have always asked questions. The social web doesn’t change human curiosity, it just gives it a new avenue. It’s easier to approach experts in today’s media climate.Dialog is potentially retrievable.The always-on nature of social media creates public expectations that engaged physicians are ready and willing to be their personal advisor.
Social media has lead us to believe that health assessment may easier than it really is. So how do I handle myself specifically? I never answer patient-specific questions. There are two types of questions that physicians may encounter in public spaces: patient-specific and patient non-specific. I. II. III. Patients worried about medical records going digital. It took some time to get a majority of physicians in the U.S. to agree that it would be beneficial to implement electronic health records in their practices. Now, a survey finds, the most skeptical audience for EHRs is patients. A survey of more than 2,100 patients by Xerox found that only 26% want their medical records to be digital, down two percentage points from a year ago. Only 40% believe EHRs will result in better, more efficient care. And 85% expressed concern about digital records. Their main worries: privacy and security of their information. When asked what, specifically, worries them about EHRs, respondents said they were concerned that their information could be stolen by a hacker (63%), the files could be lost, damaged or corrupted (50%), their personal information could be misused (51%), or a power outage or computer problem could prevent doctors from accessing their information (50%).
There are many things in medicine that patients tolerate but don’t necessarily like. It’s Becoming Harder to Fake it as a Speaker. Not long ago I served as a panel speaker at a large, national medical meeting. The subject matter was social media. The panel consisted of myself, another doctor with a well-established platform and a third woman, a high-ranking member of The Society. The problem was the third panelist. As she began to speak the live tweeting began. People on the other side of the planet wanted to learn more about this person headlining this major meeting. So they searched for her blog, Twitter feed, and Facebook page. Participants in the backchannel had some pointed comments about her. News flash: smartphone users obsessively check their devices. In a study that could be described as confirming the bleedin’ obvious, Finnish researchers have found that many smartphone users obsessively check their devices for e-mails, social media and news.
Really? Seriously? I could have texted that conclusion over to Finland long ago and saved them a lot of time and tax dollars. Who hasn’t endured the supremely rude experience of chatting happily with a friend whose phone chimes suddenly to life, requiring said friend to instantly interrupt the conversation in mid-sentence because she has to check out the latest cute kitty YouTube video – while you stand there waiting like an idiot with your finger up your nose? Who hasn’t sat, dismayed and annoyed, at the dining room table watching a young relative madly texting from his lap during a family dinner? Obsessive? The repetitive and obsessive checking of smartphones for news, e-mail, contacts and social apps is dubbed “checking habits” by the researchers who worked on this study.
Dr. See also: Dr. By Mobify. Officials at SharecareNow announced Tuesday the Top 10 Online Influencers in Pediatrics, a distinction awarded to lead physicians who are driving conversations about children’s health online. All top 10 influencers are pediatricians who maintain an active online presence across diverse interactive channels – including Twitter, Facebook, video and blogs – and have addressed a wide range of child health topics from infant to adolescent care, with many accounts inspired by their own family lives. Officials at SharecareNow bestowed top honors to Claire McCarthy, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital; Harvey Karp, MD, author of "Happiest Baby"; and Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, who writes “Seattle Mama Doc.”
[See also: 10 physicians to follow on Twitter.] To be included in the SharecareNow 10 – Pediatrics list, influencers must have demonstrated a consistent impact on pediatric-specific conversations online over the past year, officials say. [See also: Top 10 apps for HIT students and professionals.] 1. 2. Vitera Healthcare Solutions Study Indicates That the Majority of Healthcare Professionals Are Interested in a Mobile EHR Solution.
TAMPA, Fla. – August 14, 2012 – Vitera Healthcare Solutions, one of the nation’s largest providers of electronic health records and practice management software and services, announced today the results of its EHR Solutions and Mobile Technologies Study. The Tampa-based Healthcare IT provider, which serves more than 400,000 healthcare professionals, surveyed doctors, executives and practice managers to identify how they currently use mobile technologies and how they intend to use them in the future. The Study found that while 72 percent of surveyed healthcare professionals already use their mobile device for work purposes, only six percent are currently using their devices to connect to their EHR or to e-prescribe.
However, the majority of respondents are interested in a mobile EHR solution, with physicians being the most interested (91%), followed by practice administrators (66%) and billing managers (43%). Other key findings include: Googling cancer information: Tips from a cancer survivor. When I got my phone call with the diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), my instinct, like so many of us, was to Google. Today, 3 years later, I have learned about what to look for, what to avoid, and how to manage my natural wish to know as much as possible. The following are suggestions to help others faced with a cancer diagnosis. Google wisely. Google (and Wikipedia) are a reflex. Don’t fight it. However, when looking at suggested links, go for more reliable sources. Be forewarned, for more aggressive cancers, this will be frightening reading. Ask your medical team.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) – there are no miracles. While I believe in complementary approaches to conventional treatments, these are the tried and true advice for everyone: avoid tobacco, eat well (including reducing meat consumption – other nutrition advice here), and exercise. Prayer, meditation, walking, being with family and friends are also sound elements of a holistic approach. How Are Healthcare Professionals Using Social Media? [INFOGRAPHIC] Social media is crucial to the development of medicine today. Much has been written about educating patients. This can be in the form of educational materials provided during the office visit, providing access to accurate online medical data, or even educating patients about wellness- how to be well, stay well and live well.
As physicians, I believe that part of our responsibility is to teach. As the familiar adage from residency goes: “see one, do one, teach one” – we have a responsibility to teach patients and to teach each other. This is why social media is so crucial to the development of medicine today. Many of us utilize resources such as UpToDate, which offers textbooks and articles that we can pore through to find the answers we need. What if you send a tweet out to the medical community and get several real time opinions? The same philosophy applies to teaching patients. Lauren Chasin is a family physician who blogs at DoctorMommy. Yellowknife meeting tweets to prominence. Report: Healthcare Should Embrace Digital Technology.
Written by Kathleen Roney | August 16, 2012 Digital innovation in healthcare has the potential to address three challenges — rising costs, uneven quality and inadequate access, according to "The Digital Dimension of Healthcare" report by the Global Health Policy Forum. Digital and social media may expand access to and improve the quality of services by putting tools to manage health and wellness in the hands of patients. According to the report, there are three main areas in healthcare open to digital innovation. 1. Digital channels for health — Providers and payors can deploy digital and social media within the traditional healthcare system, such as follow-up consultants by e-mail or online laboratory results. 2. However, the report identifies barriers that are holding back the growth of digital technologies in the healthcare industry. • Regulation• Misaligned financial incentives• Lack of patient empowerment • Fragmentation More Articles on Health IT: © Copyright ASC COMMUNICATIONS 2012.
Some Americans take to the idea of robot healthcare. About one third of Americans are willing to receive some of their healthcare from robots, and 98 percent said they would receive robot care if it meant lower co-pays and health insurance costs. A survey by www.CouponCodes4u.com of 1,723 Americans, aged 18-30, found 34 percent said that they would opt for care from a remote presence virtual and independent telemedicine assistant robot (RP-VITA), if given the choice, while 5 percent of respondents claimed to be “indifferent.”
[See also: Telemedicine market to reach $2.5B by 2018.] Those surveyed were asked how regularly they visited their doctor: 52 percent said they saw a doctor regularly; 37 percent said they saw their doctor ‘every now and again;’ and one in 10, 11 percent of respondents said they visited their doctor, “hardly ever or not at all.” In addition, 47 percent of respondents cited that they felt “uncomfortable” with the idea of their personal medical records being available online via cloud. Untitled. Medicine and Social Media. Facebook, ACLU: ‘Likes’ are protected speech. Medicine and Social Media: Your Personal Social ROI - Howard Luks, MD. Interactive health records may boost preventive care. #asme2012 Healthcare Social Media Analytics.
eHealth raises ethical questions for docs. Request for Submissions to the Next Edition - "The Mobile Edition" of the #HCSM Review! #hcsmca. The pros/cons of using social media in biomedicine: Slideshow. Social Media from the Radiology Perspective: Interview with Sumerdoc. AMA Publishes Online Video Tutorials To Help Doctors Adopt Health IT. #hcsmeufr | PHARMAGEEK & SOCIAL MEDIA.
How social media is changing health care (Infographic) « Health Care Social Media Monitor. Smartphone use growing among family docs. Google before you Tweet is the new think before you speak. Using mHealth to Reduce Pregnancy Related Deaths in Developing Countries - Yaser's Blog. Hacking Health - Healthcare Hackathon in Montréal. iPad Solves Healthcare Providers’ Clipboard Conundrum. Psychiatry and Web 2.0.
Top articles in medicine in June 2012. Smw. New Google and Facebook changes that affect your physician website. Visualizing a medical Twitter hashtag: MDChat. How to get started on Twitter: A primer for doctors. Medicine and Social Media - We're Getting There- Slowly. Recap: Doctors 2.0 & You Paris. #hcsmca. #hcsmca transcripts « Colleen Young. #hcsmca - Healthcare Social Media Transcript and Analytics. Tweriod - Get to know when your Twitter followers are online the most. How Has Online Access to Health Information Affected Consumers' Medical Knowledge? - Data Points.
14 Ways Social Media May Soon Change Your Doctor's Visit. Social media: how doctors can contribute. #HCSM Twitter Leaderboard...I am N° 16 ....thanks | PHARMA GEEK. 14 ways social media may change doctors’ visits. #HCSM Twitter Leaderboard. Connecting Healthcare + Social Media #HCSMny · HealthcareWen. Dr. Don Berwick: Medical Professionalism · HealthcareWen. Home Asklepios. #doctors20. This Is The App That Will Change Everything About Healthcare. Interview: Why I Choose To Be Active in Medicine and Social Media. Join us tonight for our #mHealth chat on Twitter. Welcome to Google Docs. Welcome to Google Docs. Is Social Media Saving Lives? | Curbside Consult. #HCSM and Google+: Integration? Privacy? Trust? · docforeman. Social Media in Healthcare Infographic. 6 reasons physicians need to be on social media. Physicians & Social Media @ 2012 #hcsmNY · drmikesevilla. May 20, 2012 « What Are HIPPA Regulations?
Will the Future Need Doctors? – 2012 Health Foo Ignite. Doctors 2.0™ & You. Ali R. Jalali : TweetReach Stats for #hcsm... Connecting healthcare and social media empowers doctors and patients: #HCSMNY conference. Doctors warned not to use social media with patients. Hcsm. Live from PRSA: Social media gives you a voice | Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock.