The New Social MediaFor Patients and ProvidersJason Bhan, MDVAFP July 25th, 2009

Learning ObjectivesDefine Social MediaUnderstand how patients are using Social Media and how to advise themKnow how to implement Social Media into your practice of medicine

What is Social Media?The various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, using words, pictures, videos and audio + the Community it involveshttp://www.commoncraft.com/videos

Examples of Social Media applications includeCommunicationBlogsSocial NetworkingMicro-blogging/presenceCollaborationWikisSocial BookmarkingOpinion and RatingsMultimediaAudio/Video/Photo

The reality of the Social WebOur patients are interacting with other Patients and other Physicians onlinePhysicians are learning every day from each other in new and innovative ways

The Empowered PatientPatients are using the internet and Social Media to learnSearch“Knowledge Sites”Community/Communication

Patients are starting with SearchTop Health related Search sitesGoogle | www.google.comHealia | www.healia.comMedgle | www.medgle.comHealth Line | www.healthline.comOrganized Wisdom | www.organizedwisdom.comWell Sphere | www.wellsphere.com

Then they seek out ‘expert’ knowledgeKnowledge SitesGoogle Knol | knol.google.com/kWikipedia | www.wikipedia.comAskDrWiki (Mayo) | www.askdrwiki.comMedpedia | www.medpedia.comBlogsMicroblogs (Twitter)

And then, they look to each other for answers and supportOnline Patient CommunitiesPatients Like Me | www.patientslikeme.comDiabetes Mine | www.diabetesmine.comRelief Insite | www.reliefinsite.comHealth Central | www.healthcentral.comMedHelp | www.medhelp.comtoo young for this | www.imtooyoungforthis.org

What do they get?Patients are participating in online communities to share and discuss daily life struggles or to cope with rare diseases

They are doing it whether we like it or not, so how can we help?Become familiar with quality patient sites by reading expert reports, such as “The Wisdom Patients: Health Care Meets Online Social Media” (http://www.chcf.org/topics/chronicdisease/index.cfm?itemID=133631) Provide patients with criteria on how they can review and select appropriate online patient support groups as well as caution them on potential dangers of support groups and forumsMake sure to visit a group before recommending it; learn about the community and consider becoming a physician contributor Warn patients not to make medical decisions based on patient support group advice without input from their physician

The Empowered PhysicianHow can we use similar tools to improve how we learn and communicate with each other and with our patients?

Using Social MediaTeaching, Learning, and CollaborationMarketing, Self Promotion, and Leadership

Throughout medical school and residency, we learn in groupsBut the training is focused on self-learning and self-relianceCritical appraisal of medical literatureUse of EBM toolsInternet SearchesHow to use a phone

There is a transition as we move from Residency to RealityIsolationSteep Learning CurveInformation overloadComplete shift of focus

We tend to get buried in the day to day - and acquire habitsRead the same journalsPractice the same medicineInteract with the same physicians

Now, Physicians are collaborating online in ways never before possibleLearning in real time from peers across geographies and across specialtiesSharing ideas discussing new practicesAccessing collective insights and experience from a broader groupDisseminating information more quickly and more efficiently

The world of social media offers new tools to break out from the old practiceBlogs and Micro-BlogsExamplesPhysician Collaboration ToolsExamplesVideoExamples

What do Physicians blog about?Informative health updatesPersonal storiesHealthcare TechnologyOther areas of clinical or practice interestPhysicians may blog to patients, to the general public, or to each other

Micro-Blogging with TwitterAll you can say in 140 characters or lessMonitor news and updates from people you find interestingKeep others updatedPublic Health (Government agencies)CDCFDAHHS

Social Media Provides Alternative Methods Of Communication & Collaboration In Times Of CrisisCDC had less than 1,000 Twitter followers in March. They now have over 500,000CDC’s H1N1 video has over 1,000,000 views"Web-based mapping, search-term surveillance, "microblogging," and online social networks have emerged as alternative forms of rapid dissemination of information." New England Journal of Medicine on May 7, 200921

New England Journal of Medicine on May 7, 2009

New Solution Provides Real-Time Public Health & Infectious Disease Alerts To U.S. Physicians Unlike an RSS or Twitter feed for Public Health and Pandemic alerts, the joint Ozmosis/Veratect solution allows physicians to:- View, search, and filter through public health alerts state by state- Discuss management and treatment options, share health department and CDC updates- Submit their own potential cases for review which are then evaluated by Veratect, verified and reported back to Ozmosis, the CDC, the UN, and other health agencies22

Real-time Alerts Are Delivered To The Point Of Care"Any doctor will tell you, reassurance is a huge part of medicine and the Ozmosis Health Alerts gave that to my patients when they needed it most." Robert Saunders, M.D. 23

What is the purpose of Physician Collaboration through Social Media Accessing the collective wisdom of your peersAsking QuestionsSocial BookmarkingCase PresentationsWikiCollaborationGoogle KnolNetworkingKnow who you are collaborating withBuild a referral base or network

Social Bookmarking allows the conversation to continuePublishing now starts the conversationSites that allow Social BookmarkingDelicious | www.delicious.comOzmosis | www.ozmosis.comConnotea | www.connotea.org

Launch Demo

There are known benefits of online Peer CollaborationThese exchanges allow us to mix evidence with experienceHave meaningful exchanges with our peers more frequentlyConnect the Tower with the Trenches

And some questions still to be answeredDoes access to an online collaborative environment help physicians learn betterWhat influence does social networking have on behavior changeAre we lemmings?

What factors can influence the utility of a physician social media site?SecurityAnonymityExpert CommunityTrustTools/Features

Options for Physician Collaboration

Wiki versus KnolPhysician ParticipationAttribution and trustWho should have access?Should there be editorial oversight?Brand yourself an ExpertWikiKnol

Marketing with Social Media Build an ImageBlogTwitterWiki/KnolAdvanced MarketingGoogle adwordsFacebook

Building a BrandWebsite and BlogPractice promotion and informationSelf Promotion TwitterPractice PromotionSelf Promotion

Buying Ads Google AdwordsTargeted$https://adwords.google.comFacebookTargetedFree - $www.facebook.com

The Choice is YoursEngage and advise your patients and your peersShare your experience with othersBe a part of the force transforming medicine

Connect with MeEmailjmbhan@gmail.comwww.ozmosis.comjasonwww.twitter.comjmbhanwww.facebook.comJason Bhan