Digital Doctoringand
Healthy Communication
Matthew Katz, MD
May 19, 2016
PhysicianUse of Social Media

Disclosure
• Founder/owner, nonprofit RadiationNation.com
• Volunteer for
• Massachusetts Medical Society
• American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)
• American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)

Social Media in Medicine
• Manywant to knowhow to:
• Enhance reputation
• Get relevant information
• Grow your practice
• Collaborate, learn
• Minimize/avoid risk
• Start instead with:
• Who am I?
• Why do I want to communicate?

Know the Rules First

Know Who You Are
• Decide comfort level being public
• As a non-professional person
• As a health professional
• As a citizen
• Start conservatively
• Learn the rules of each road you choose
• Start in the parking lot, not the highway
• Build skills
• Art and science of digital communication

Medicine5.0 – Millenniaof Healing
v. Era Example Divine Healer/W
ounded
Dyad
Knowledge Scientific
Method
1.0 Prehistoric Shaman + +
2.0 400 B.C. Galen + + +
3.0 18th-19th c. Virchow + + +
4.0 20th Osler + +
5.0 21st ? + + +
Professionals are increasingly interactive intermediaries in health

Hippocrates
“I will use treatment to help the
sick according to my ability and
judgment, but never with a view to
injury or wrong-doing”
“Into whatsoever houses I enter, I
will enter to help the sick”
Maimonides
“Grant me the strength, time and
opportunity always to correct what
I have acquired, always to extend
its domain; for knowledge is
immense and the spirit of man can
extend indefinitely to enrich itself
daily with new requirements.”

Hippocrates
“I will use treatment to help the
sick according to my ability and
judgment, but never with a view to
injury or wrong-doing”
“Into whatsoever houses I enter, I
will enter to help the sick”
Maimonides
“Grant me the strength, time and
opportunity always to correct what
I have acquired, always to extend
its domain; for knowledge is
immense and the spirit of man can
extend indefinitely to enrich itself
daily with new requirements.”
Your oath holds true online, on
whatsoever platform you extend your domain

Representing the Profession

Am I My Colleague’s Keeper?

What the public expects
Mr. John Doe ( General Manager )
• Professionalism based upon
• Quality as clinician
• Workmanship
• Citizenship
• Doctors expected to be
• Confident
• Reliable
• Composed
• Accountable
• Dedicated
Source: Chandratilake et al, Clin Med 2010

Risks in Clinical Practice
Patients/Caregivers
• Misinformation
• Loss of privacy
• Psychologic
amplification
Professionals
• Professional harm
• Patient harm
• Psychological harm

Public Medicine: Scalable Good or Harm
Bik HM, Goldstein MS. PLOS Biol 2013

Flexner Mentality= Dangerous
SOURCE: Simon Wardley, blog.gardeviance.org

M.D. =Master Dilettante
• Able, not ‘expert’
• Absorb and synthesize information, research
• Apply evidence to needs, values of each patient
• Free from false expectation of omniscience
• Better communication
• Listening, understanding essential
• Skills can be learned for clinic and online

What is Stopping Us?
QuantiaMD.com, 2011 http://bit.ly/OKR00w

http://bit.ly/16cPIUH

Start with Why

Where People ShareTheir Care

Why Doctors Need to Be Online
• Patients and caregivers are increasingly
online, seeking help and support
• If clinicians don’t engage online, expect more
influence on health decisions by
• Peers and family
• Fearmongerers, opportunists
• Industry (Direct-to-consumer)

What patients and doctors deserve
Mr. John Doe ( General Manager )
Source: subatomicdoc, Flickr.com
Any social media tool should improve or preserve this covenant

WHO Definition of Health
Health includes yours

Doctor’sHierarchy ofNeeds
Source: subatomicdoc, flickr.com

DefineYour Purpose
Whyyou are online determines
• How you want to contribute
• Where to go
• What skills you will need

Which One AreYou?

Separate Medicineand Business
• Be the professional
• Coordinate with practice, hospital to do
the marketing

Have a Social Media Policy
Your staff, colleagues affect your reputation
• How you want to contribute
• Where to go
• What skills you will need

Goals
Purpose Example
Patient Care Best Practices
Learn From Patients
Enhance Career Education
Reputation Management
Networking
Job Opportunity
Teaching Medical education
Research/Academics
Advocacy Fundraising
Collaboration
Public education

VAK Learning Styles
Platform Visual
See/Read
Auditory
Listen/Speak
Kinesthetic
Touch/Do
Blogs X
Twitter X X
Facebook X
LinkedIn X
Instagram/Pinterest X
Tumblr X X X
YouTube/Vimeo X
Google + X X X
Adapted from: Meredith Gould, The Social Media Gospel

You are what you
Surf Search Share
Source: flowingdata.com

Professional = Patient Privacy
If in doubt, HIPAA applies

Act Like It’s Permanent
“Beniceronlinethanyouareoffline”

Respect and Dignity
Engage,butdon’t‘friend’or‘link’toyourpatients

Maintain Boundaries
• Applies especiallytoFacebook
• Knowandperiodically reviewprivacysettings

Transparency ofIntent

Reputation = EMR
Join
Post
Network
Establish Monitor Respond
Listen
Watch
‘ReadtheRoom’
Calm
Accountable
Reliable
Empathic

Hang your digital shingle
• Get a website domain with your name and your
brand
• Brands may fail, but save a place for you to tell your
story and achievements
• Build a “moat” to defend your reputation
http://www.matthewkatzmd.com
Type into domain registrar searchHyperText
Transfer Protocol

Establish, Track Yourself
• Pick a professional ‘handle’
• Non-anonymous
• Join multiple platforms to protect
your ‘brand’
• Monitor
• Google Alerts
• Physician rating sites
• Can’t eliminate the negative
• Accentuate/amplify the positive

Starting social media services*
Sign up
Explore
settings
Lurk Interact Lead
* Applies to most platforms

Medicolegal Risks
Mr. John Doe ( General Manager )
• Consider your online presencediscoverable
• By institution, professional society
• Social mediapolicy for your practice
• Want to keep your staff aware, accountable
• Describedin MMS Guidelines

Conclusion
Mr. John Doe ( General Manager )
• Ethics beforemechanics
• Why you do it drives how you will do it
• Use Digital Tools,Don’t Be One
• MoreResearchNeeded

Questions?
Mr. John Doe ( General Manager )
Look at MMS Physicians’ Guide at massmed.org
Contact me at:
@subatomicdoc [Twitter]
www.subatomicdoc.com