This document discusses the use of Twitter by surgeons. It provides statistics on Twitter usage and how physicians currently use social media. The document outlines how Twitter works and how surgeons can use it for information sharing, education, and marketing. However, it also notes the risks to patient privacy and professionalism that social media poses. Guidelines are presented on how to use Twitter professionally as a surgeon to establish an online presence while avoiding potential issues.

1. Twitter for Surgeons
Niraj J. Gusani, MD, MS, FACS
@NirajGusani

2. SAGES 2012 Disclosure Slide
Niraj J. Gusani, MD, MS, FACS
Nothing To Disclose

3. Disclaimers

4. To Comment or Tweet
• Please use hashtag #SAGES2012
• To send your questions and comments for
this session:
– Text SMEDIA and your message to 22333
– Tweet @poll SMEDIA and your message
– Go to http://pollev.com/SAGES6D
during the session

5. Overview
• What is Twitter
– Some Statistics
– How does it work? Does it work?
• What do doctors / surgeons / medical
institutions use Twitter for
– Information
– Education
– Patient Contact
– Marketing
• What are the risks?
• How to proceed in using Twitter professionally

6. 1,229 Hospitals Using Social Media
Oct 2011
“Found in Cache” blog - http://ebennett.org
http://www.powerdms.com/resources/compliance-management-blog/12-01-16/Social_Media_in_Healthcare_Infographic.aspx

7. Hospitals using Social Media
“Found in Cache” blog - http://ebennett.org

8. How do Physicians use SM?
http://www.powerdms.com/resources/compliance-management-blog/12-01-16/Social_Media_in_Healthcare_Infographic.aspx

9. What is Twitter?
• A micro-blogging and social utility service
that allows its users to send and read
messages known as tweets, text-based
posts of no more than 140 characters
• People use twitter to share and view links,
pictures, videos, opinions, news,
professional information, personal status
updates and more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter

10. State of the Twitterverse 2012
• News no longer breaks, it Tweets
• People have demonstrated the speed and
efficacy of social networking by
connecting to one another based on
interests (interest graph) rather then
limiting connections to relationships
(social graph).
Solis B. http://socialmediatoday.com/briansolis/457621/state-twitterverse-2012
http://infographiclabs.com/news/twitter-2012/

11. Twitter Stats
• 465 million accounts
• > 100 million active users sending 175
million tweets per day
• 11 Twitter accounts created every second
• Average age – 39
• US – 107.7 million Twitter users
• Projected ad revenue in 2012 is $259
million
Solis B. http://socialmediatoday.com/briansolis/457621/state-twitterverse-2012
http://infographiclabs.com/news/twitter-2012/

12. Twitter’s place in the SM landscape

13. What’s Different about Twitter?
• Open rather than closed platform (unlike
FB, LinkedIn)
– adds a level of complexity (and risk) and may
make this medium less ideal for Healthcare
professional use
• May parallel the level of adoption
– 9% of Physicians use Twitter personally
– 3% of Physicians use Twitter professionally
http://www.quantiamd.com/q-qcp/doctorspatientsocialmedia.pdf

14. use of SM by Surgeons
• 315 ACS Surgeons surveyed – Sept 2010
• Twitter Use
– 79% Never use it
– 5.6% use it daily / 3.0% weekly / 1.3% monthly
http://www.facs.org/fellows_info/bulletin/2011/yamout0711.pdf

15. How can Surgeons use Twitter?
• Information / Education
– Update the public about latest news, events
and research highlights
– Respond to other tweets related to your field /
research / organization
– Live tweeting of events / meetings
– Tweet chats or Q&A sessions
• Patient Contact?
• Marketing?

16. Anatomy of a Tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/NirajGusani/status/177064977432182785?tw_p=twt

17. Anatomy of a Tweet
}
Tweet
} Reply
https://twitter.com/#!/NirajGusani/status/177064977432182785?tw_p=twt

18. Anatomy of a Tweet
User teeting
}
Tweet
Replying user
} Reply
https://twitter.com/#!/NirajGusani/status/177064977432182785?tw_p=twt

19. Anatomy of a Tweet
Hashtags
} Tweet
Reply Button
} Reply
https://twitter.com/#!/NirajGusani/status/177064977432182785?tw_p=twt

20. Anatomy of a ReTweet
https://twitter.com/#!/NirajGusani/status/177064977432182785?tw_p=twt

21. Anatomy of a ReTweet
ReTweet Button
https://twitter.com/#!/NirajGusani/status/177064977432182785?tw_p=twt

22. Anatomy of a ReTweet
ReTweet ReTweeted User
ReTweet Button
https://twitter.com/#!/NirajGusani/status/177064977432182785?tw_p=twt

23. Tweeting the Meeting
Twitter can be a great way to capture the small
nuggets of information you glean while at a
conference.
• Try to find the fact or theme that resonates with you.
• After the conference, your stream of posts serves as a
journal of what you found inspiring.
• As a bonus you can see what other people re-tweeted
and that may further reinforce what is really important.
Sinclair C. “How to use Twitter at your next medical conference.” http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/09/twitter-medical-
conference.html

24. #Resources / #Chats on Twitter
• #hcsm on Twitter (Sun 9 pm ET)
• #CMEchat (Wed 11am ET)
• #Meded chat (Th 4PM and 9PMET)
• #twitJC – Twitter Journal Club -
http://www.twitjc.com/

25. Surgical Organizations / Departments

26. Risks with use Physician Use of SM
• Patient privacy
• Professionalism
http://33charts.com/2011/12/physicians-risk-opportunity-social-media.html

27. Facebook Doctor Suspended
• RI physician recently recounted a patient
experience
– Believed she had de-identified the patient
– The posting did not include the patient’s name, but
included enough details that others in the community
could ID the patient
– Complaint was lodged
• She was disciplined by the Rhode Island State
Board and lost her privileges at the involved
hospital.
http://33charts.com/2011/04/facebook-rhode-island-doctor.html
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/04/doctor-reprimanded-patient-privacy-breached-facebook.html

28. Physicians on Twitter
• Review of 260 Physician Twitter Accounts
• 144 / 5156 tweets (3%) were categorized
as unprofessional.
– 38 (0.7%) represented potential patient
privacy violations
– 33 (0.6%) contained profanity
– 14 (0.3%) included sexually explicit material
– 4 (0.1%) included discriminatory statements.
Chretien KC, Azar J, Kind T. Physicians on Twitter. JAMA. 2011 Feb 9;305(6):566-8.

29. How do I use Twitter?
• Push information, studies, data,
observations
– Mainly oncology and surgical oncology
patient education

30. How do I use Twitter?
• Perspectives about medical news
• Occasional retweets
• Twitter Correspondent for ACS CC 2011

31. How do I use Twitter?
• No personal / practice marketing
• No patient interaction
• No patient anecdotes
• I follow mainly healthcare, allied health
professionals, organizations

32. Guidelines
• Need to tweet often if you want to
establish a presence / following
– But start slowly
– Observe / lurk before you post
• Tweet what you know
• Keep it professional at all times
• Only do it if it’s fun…
– Twitter (and other SM) are free, but cost a lot
in terms of TIME

33. Guidelines
• Edit / Revise before you hit “send”
• Decide how you are going to respond to
personal / patient requests
• Develop a SM strategy / policy in advance
and stick to it
• Manage your online reputation with
professional, informative, high quality
posts/Tweets

34. SM is everywhere
http://www.jeffbullas.com/2009/07/28/how-social-media-can-help-organic-seo-2-case-studies/

35. Be sensible!
http://www.megaleecher.net/taxonomy/term/11976

36. Questions?
ngusani@psu.edu
#Twitter: @NirajGusani