Social media is becoming increasingly important in the medical field. While some doctors are slow to adopt social media, medical schools are now teaching students how to properly use social media in their practices. Social media allows doctors to connect with existing patients and attract new ones. It provides a way for doctors to share medical updates and advice and build relationships with patients. Although some doctors worry about privacy and professionalism, social media can enhance a practice if used appropriately. The majority of adults now use social media, so it remains an effective way for doctors to communicate with patients of all ages.

1. Social Media And Medicine
What is the future of the health care industry?
Any doctor reading this certainly knows that every day, new advancements are being
made in the medical field. Whether it is a new drug that has been created with fewer
side effects, or a minimally invasive surgery being done by a state of the art robot,
medical professionals are always coming up with new alternatives to keep their patients
healthy in the safest and most effective ways possible.
One advancement in the medical field that may appear to be less apparent is the
growing use of social media. Although across the industry social media is beginning to be
adopted, still not enough doctors are tuned in to using it. Its importance will continue to
grow, and people in the medical community are quickly becoming aware of this fact.
Students training to be doctors at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine are starting to
be taught how to correctly incorporate social media into a medical practice1
; this a skill
that most practicing doctors would never imagine being taught when they themselves
were attending medical school.
Nevertheless, times are changing and whether they like it or not, doctors must change
along with it. Dr. Kurt Fredrick, from South Austin, commented that if he did not use
social media, he would be missing out not only on opportunities to attract new patients,
but also to build bonds with his existing ones. He wants to be more than a “white coat”
that his patients see twice a year, and social media helps him accomplish that.2
Still, only 15% of doctors have professional Facebook profiles, 8% use YouTube and
surprisingly only 3% posted on Twitter. As Dr. Howard Luks, an orthopedic surgeon,
says: “Only the oil refinery business lags behind health care in digital media adoption.”
For doctors, it is no longer practical not to have an online presence. While it might
seem foolish to be updating a Facebook page or uploading YouTube videos, there are
plenty of advantages.
What are the merits of social media use in Medicine?
Social networks are all about speeding up and enriching communication between large
communities of people3
. These days, everybody’s going online to search for medical
information. Of course, many doctors can be dismayed by patients claiming they have all
sorts of aliments they read about on the Internet, but the facts are the facts; people
going online for medical advice. Many times it is on social media sites that people
connect with each other, and share medical stories or symptoms they have experienced.

2. The Veterans Health Administration and the University of California studied how
epilepsy patients used a site called PatientsLikeMe to compare treatments and
experiences4
. Another site Real Self, commonly used by patients seeking cosmetic
surgery, offers the same service. While these sites are not considered to be mainstream
social media sites, the ways people interact on them are the same ways people use
Facebook or Twitter.
Doctors who use social media not only can spread the word about new medical
updates, treatments or other relevant news, but also specific information about their
practices. Some doctors chose to release more personal messages about their daily lives
as doctors, and this helps them bond and stay connected with all of their patients.
Additionally, other users of social media sites are drawn to doctors who post helpful
health tips and advice, and use them as a reliable source of information. This positive
attention is just one way a doctor can attract new patients using social media.
Who is actually using social media?
For a doctor who is trying to target patients in a wide range of ages, is social media still
effective? The answer to that question is…. of course! The share of adult users who
have a profile on an online social media network quadrupled from 8% in 2005 to 35% in
2008. However that was five years ago, when there were even less users on social
media sites; currently 66% of [online] adults are social media users1
. Social media has
become a form of mass communication. Over a hundred years ago, letters were
delivered by hand from person to person. More recently, many business and companies
began sending out mass emails to customers. Now, with social media growing at the
rate it is, there is no better way to communicate with large groups of people. So
whether you are a doctor trying to reach young patients or those in their older years,
social media is your best bet.
Right now, out of all the social media sites, the highest attention grabber is Twitter5
. The
current count of monthly Twitter users is up to 225 million. Messages and pictures can
also be shared and liked by hundreds on sites like Facebook and Instagram, Not to
mention LinkedIn, a site dedicated to those who want to make professional connections
— doctors can use it not only for connecting with patients, but also networking with
other doctors. Other avenues include Google’s sharing services and YouTube. In fact,
using any of the above social media sites not only helps to get the word out about your
practice, but can also help your website (if you have one) show up better in search
results.
Well there must be a downside, right?
Some doctors worry whether it is appropriate for them to be using social media sites.
They don’t want to seem unprofessional or risk violating their patient’s confidentiality
privileges. These concerns are understandable, but if done right, the use of social media
will not risk hurting a doctor’s reputation in any way. Instead, as you read previously, it
will only help enhance your practice. That being said, doctors do need to be savvy
regarding what they post online, to avoid creating any problems6
.

3. Using social media can be “confusing and even challenging out first.” Not to mention,
very time consuming, especially for a doctor who is juggling many patients and trying to
manage a practice. That is why at Vital Branding we try to lend a hand, and help doctors
stay connected to social media without sacrificing too much of their time or energy. We
are extremely experienced in delivering content, from Tweets to YouTube videos, for
doctors in all different specialties. Feel free to look at the work we have done for other
doctors on our website, and see if we might be right to handle your social media needs.
No matter what, it’s our goal to ensure that you are presented through social media in
the best possible light.
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Bibliography
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PR NewswireSep 10 2012. ProQuest. Web. 20 June 2014 .
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Austin American StatesmanJan 04 2012. ProQuest. Web. 20 June 2014 .
3. Hawn, Carleen. "Health Affairs." Take Two Aspirin And Tweet Me
In The Morning: How Twitter, Facebook, And Other Social Media Are Reshaping
Health Care. Health Affairs, n.d. Web. 20 June 2014.
4. Hall, Susan D. "Social Networks Improve Research, Help Patients with Regimen
Adherence." FierceHealthIT. Fierce HealthIT, 12 June 2013. Web. 20 June 2014.
5. Terry, Mark. "Twittering Healthcare: Social Media and Medicine."Telemedicine and E-
Health 15.6 (2009): 507-10. Web. 20 June 2014.
6. "Internal Medicine; BIDMC Researchers Recommend 'Dual Citizenship' on Social
Media." MD Week (2011): 270. ProQuest. Web. 20 June 2014.