Social Media and Physicians

The New England Journal of Medicine has commented on the increasing trend of social media use amongst physicians. As usage grows among doctors, benefits, challenges, and liability concerns are emerging. Doctors are not only blogging about their views on health care or political issues; they’re also creating Facebook pages and jumping into the fray of Twitter.

A Manhattan Research survey published in early 2009 reported that 60% of U.S. physicians are either actively using social media networks or are interested in doing so. In the ensuing year, during which health care reform and pressing public health issues such as H1N1 containment took center stage, physician participation in blogs and on the popular networking communities Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter has likely grown significantly.

The last two years have also spawned several new networking sites devoted to physicians, and social media has made its way into virtually every aspect of the health care delivery realm. Hospitals are developing Facebook pages and establishing Twitter presences, and physicians in training have even “Tweeted” from the operating room to share their experiences with other physicians.

However, despite the potential professional benefits of social networking participation, some physicians are approaching the social media realm with trepidation, for fear that personal and professional presences will overlap in a manner that increases liability exposure. On the downside of the social media trend, studies such as one published in the September 23 to 30, 2009, edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association have shown that medical students have used the forums inappropriately to discuss individual patients.

Read the full article in The New England Journal of Medicine, or click here:
http://www.nejmjobs.org/career-resources/social-media-and-physicians.aspx